Sons of the Apocalypse
by Wolfye P
Summary: Ranma and his twin brother Kuraima start off their new lives with the Tendou family in Nerima. Join them as they discover new friends, new experiences, and a tragic love that will tear them apart forever. Alternate Universe
1. Prologue

Sons of the Apocalypse  
  
A Ranma 1/2 alternate fanwork by Wolfye Productions, Inc.  
- http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=276284  
  
All Ranma 1/2 characters are (c) Rumiko Takahashi, Viz Communications,   
Inc., Shogakukan, Inc., Kitty Films and Fuji TV. Characters are used   
without the express prior permission of the aforementioned. Story   
concept, other characters and original situations are (c) Wolfye   
Productions, Inc.; this fanfic is written for entertainment purposes   
only.  
=-=-=-=-=  
  
Part 00: The Prophecy  
  
  
The bright afternoon sun shone happily down upon the quiet Nerima district,   
bathing everything in a warm and healthy glow. The citizens of Nerima talked gaily amongst   
themselves as they continued on merrily about their daily business. It was the middle of   
summer; storms of any kind were rare for that time of year. And so, the citizens of Nerima   
paid no heed to the quickly approaching black clouds. Then it hit.  
  
The storm clouds came quickly, catching the sun completely by surprise. It had little   
time to prepare as the storm began its first assault. Below, people stared in awe and fear up   
at the sky, then quickly scattered to find a safe place to hide. Women held their children   
protectively close to their bosoms, whilst their husbands hovered nearby. All stared in   
wonderment and trepidation up towards the sky, as both sunlight and lightning fought   
savagely for control of the Heavens above the Tokyo suburb.  
  
In the very midst of this great and terrible battle stood a single white stucco building,   
humble in its appearance, yet stately in historic significance. It stood upright in the centre of   
downtown, seemingly oblivious to the raging war overhead.  
  
Within the building's timeworn walls, in a single room on the fourth floor, lay a pale   
sweating woman on a high metal-framed cot. Her dark auburn hair was slick with sweat, and   
was plastered wetly across her high forehead. On her right side, clutching lovingly and   
supportively at her tensed hand, stood a tall man with wide, wire-brimmed glasses, his bare   
head covered in a plain white handkerchief. He was dressed in a white long-sleeved chan   
saam with red clasps, and long loose-fitting black pants tied securely at the ankles with   
white ribbons. He was a rather large man, powerfully built with broad shoulders and a deep   
chest. Even his demeanor bespoke of an overwhelming power, as he stood calmly by his   
wife's bedside speaking soothing words of calm into her ear.  
  
The woman sat slightly propped up in bed, multiple pillows stuffed behind her back   
for comfort and support. Her long, flawless legs were angled up at the knees, a plain white   
hospital sheet draped carelessly across her mid-section.  
  
At the foot of the bed sat a doctor, a nurse by his side, both patiently waiting for yet   
another new-borne baby. Nestled within the arms of the nurse was a little blue-wrapped   
bundle, the contents of which squirmed in her protective grasp. A tiny pair of hands reached   
up blindly and played with the collar of her uniform.  
  
"Okay now, one more push and it'll all be over Mrs. Saotome," the doctor called out   
soothingly to the heaving and sweating mother.  
  
Nodoka groaned with the effort and pain she was feeling, yet dutifully obeyed the   
doctor's request, as she sought comfort in her husband's supportive words.  
  
"Come on Nodoka, you can do it. Just one more little push."  
  
And she did. With a final cry, Nodoka pushed with all her might, and then, in a   
matter of seconds, felt completely empty. Tired beyond words, she collapsed back into the   
pillows, still clutching her husband's large hands.  
  
Suddenly, the stark white room was filled with a high-pitched scream, which was   
soon followed by another scream. The nurse approached the man and wife, two writhing   
bundles held protectively in her arms. One was handed to her, while the other was placed   
gently in the large awaiting arms of her husband. The doctor approached the two of them, a   
gentle smile written across his worn features. He idly wiped his bloody hands on a blue   
surgical towel.  
  
"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Saotome," he addressed the two. Today would mark   
the day of his one-hundredth successful delivery. "You are now the parents of two, very   
healthy, baby boys."   
  
The two parents smiled proudly back at him, then looked lovingly at each other.   
Nodoka turned back to him, the wonderful smile of proud motherhood adorning her stately   
features.  
  
"Thank you so much, Mr. Akinawa. We are both very grateful to have had you help   
deliver our children." Her husband nodded in agreement, the ecstatic grin of sudden   
fatherhood plastered across his rough, angular face.  
  
"It was my pleasure," the doctor replied, bowing to them both. "I trust that Ms. Mori   
has informed you on which child is which?" he asked, gesturing to the smiling nurse next to   
him.  
  
Nodoka turned her wonderful smile onto the youthful nurse. "Yes, she has," she   
replied, nodding her head.  
  
"Very well, then," Akinawa said, ushering the nurse out of the birthing room, leaving   
the husband and wife to bask in their new-found parentage. "Please let us know once you   
have decided on a name for your new-borne sons," he added, then closed the door softly   
behind him.  
  
Genma turned to gaze lovingly at his wife, who was presently busy as she cooed   
softly to her new-borne son. The baby quieted down significantly in her embrace then   
subsequently fell asleep. The infant in his arms soon followed suit.  
  
Genma smiled adoringly. Twin sons! Not one, but two! Two wonderfully healthy   
baby boys to carry on the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts! Oh, what a   
joyous day this was! Surely the gods were smiling down upon his family today!  
  
"Oh, Nodoka," he breathed, his deep voice intoned with joy and wonderment. His   
wife looked up from the sleeping infant, her shining eyes meeting his awed gaze.   
"Nodoka... Two baby boys!" he cried exultantly, although careful not to wake his sleeping   
sons. "My dear, you've made me the happiest man on Earth!"  
  
Nodoka looked up at her husband, his excitement and joy perfectly matching her   
own. She looked down at the tiny baby sleeping peacefully in her warm embrace. His tiny   
eyes were closed shut, making it impossible for her to see what colour they were. They   
would probably remain closed for the next couple of days, until the muscles were   
finally strong enough for them to open. His tiny, delicate head was lightly covered with a   
small spray of short black hairs, which barely seemed to cover the whole of his head,   
displaying the pink skin hidden underneath.  
  
She looked over at the baby her husband was holding. Genma had finally taken to   
sitting down in the chair next to the bed, and was busy studying the little boy's face. This   
one was the older of the two by about five minutes, and he looked identical to the one that   
she held. But then again, something seemed different with this one.  
  
Then it came to her. Where the boy that she held had jet-black hairs, the one that her   
husband held sported a light shock of dark auburn hairs, similar to her own. A very subtle   
difference, yes, but a difference nonetheless. She smiled. At least there would be something   
to help people tell the two apart, since, other than their hair colour, the two infants looked   
exactly alike.  
  
"Genma," she finally spoke. Her husband turned and looked up at her.  
  
"Yes, my dear?"  
  
"It is time that we discussed a name for our two sons," she said simply. Genma   
nodded in agreement, as if he, too, were pondering the same thing. He then sat back and   
waited patiently for his wife to continue.  
  
---  
  
"Mr. Akinawa?"  
  
Akinawa looked up from his patient's clipboard to find Mori standing before him   
with two sets of papers in her hand.  
  
"Yes, Ms. Mori? What can I do for you?"  
  
She held out the sets of papers to him. "The Saotomes have decided on a name for   
their two sons already. I need you to sign their birth certificates and medical records," she   
informed him in a soft, melodic voice.  
  
"Oh, very well then," he said, taking the papers from her. "I wonder what they   
decided on."  
  
"They're very... unique."  
  
He shuffled through the papers until he found the birth certificates. They were   
placed in chronological order. A small frown of puzzlement crossed his face.  
  
"Kuraima and Ranma Saotome..." he said thoughtfully. "You're right, they certainly   
are different," he said to the waiting nurse, putting a slight emphasis on that last word.   
*"Dark Horse" and "Wild Horse",* he mentally translated. Why on Earth would someone   
want to name their sons that? They certainly weren't common boy names.  
  
"Hmm... It seems as if the Saotomes have a fondness for horse names," he   
commented, idly remembering the father's name. Mori simply nodded in agreement.  
  
Akinawa reached into his pocket and pulled out a black ink pen. After briefly   
scanning the medical records to make sure everything was in order, he quickly signed the   
papers and handed them back to the waiting nurse. She bowed to him, then took off down   
the hall to the maternity ward.  
  
Katsuke watched her go with some bemusement. She was certainly very pretty. He   
idly wondered if she was already seeing someone. When she finally turned the corner, his   
thoughts drifted back to the young couple he had just helped to deliver. *Kuraima and   
Ranma... What strange names,* he thought again. With a final shake of his head, he turned   
his attention back to his patient, and the medical clipboard in his practiced hands.  
  
---  
  
The citizens of Nerima stared up at the sky with a look of bewilderment. Just   
moments ago, the sky had been active with a viscious battle between sun and storm. The   
savage war, which had been punctuated frequently with momentary strikes of sunlight and   
lightning, had lasted a total of just a few hours.  
  
Then, just when the terrible battle for the Heavens had seemed to reach its peak, it   
suddenly dissipated as quickly as it had first started, leaving in its awesome wake a lonely   
and desolate sky, devoid of both light and shadow. It was grey, lifeless; not one sunbeam   
nor storm cloud marked its dreary visage.  
  
The people were stunned. What on Earth had just happened? The past events   
became a tumbled mass of confusion. A great battle had just taken place, and they were no   
the wiser for it.  
  
(End of Part 00)  
---  
1. chan saam - Cantonese word for shirt. I shall use this word to depict those Chinese-style   
shirts the Saotomes prefer to wear.  
---  
Notes:  
  
The number 4 is Chinese culture is an ominous number, oftentimes signifying bad luck, and   
even sometimes death. 


	2. Enter Ranma and Kuraima

Sons of the Apocalypse  
  
A Ranma 1/2 alternate fanwork by Wolfye Productions, Inc.  
- http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=276284  
  
All Ranma 1/2 characters are (c) Rumiko Takahashi, Viz Communications,   
Inc., Shogakukan, Inc., Kitty Films and Fuji TV. Characters are used   
without the express prior permission of the aforementioned. Story   
concept, other characters and original situations are (c) Wolfye   
Productions, Inc.; this fanfic is written for entertainment purposes   
only.  
=-=-=-=-=  
  
Part 01: Enter Ranma and Kuraima  
  
  
Between light and shadow, two shall be borne of one.  
One shall be borne of the light, the other shall be borne of the   
dark;  
Two ancestral enemies deeply woven within the fabric of Time.  
  
Set forth from this day shall begin the Apocalypse; and whence the   
time has come,  
The beginning of the end shall once again be no more.  
  
-The Book of the Fates [age unknown]  
  
  
It was an early spring Sunday morning, the sun shining brightly   
down upon the peaceful district of Nerima. Everything glistened in the   
bright sunlight, wet with newly fallen rain, as yet another rain shower   
had decided to grace the tranquil suburb just a few moments prior.  
  
For half-an-hour, the languid city had remained still beneath the   
torrential downpour. It was common during this time of the year, and no   
one really gave the event much thought. However, once it had stopped,   
and the rain clouds had dissipated, the citizens of Nerima were shocked   
at the sight that greeted them once they stepped forth from their   
protective abodes.  
  
Marching down the nearly deserted street passed a strange   
procession of three highly conspicuous personages, one of whom was   
tossed unceremoniously across the shoulder of another. It was certainly   
a strange sight, and people could not help but stare at it in awe and   
wonderment, as the odd procession glided past and down the street   
towards the neighbourhood dojo.  
  
---  
  
Soun Tendou shakily held a worn postcard up in front of his face,   
emotion rising in his throat, while tears threatened to break from his   
eyes.  
  
"Oh, how I've waited for this day!" he half-sobbed, stopping to   
wipe away the tears that slid down his wet cheeks.  
  
"And soon," he continued, turning the postcard around in his   
hands. "Very soon, Ranma and Kuraima will be here!"  
  
The postcard in his hands was tattered and worn, as if a great   
many people had handled it. The edges were creased in several places,   
and there were watermarks scattered across the surface of it. On the   
front of the three-by-five card was a simple picture of a rather large   
panda eating sticks of bamboo. The other side contained the mailing   
address of the Tendou Dojo, a few worn Chinese stamps, and a short   
message written in sloppy calligraphy:  
  
"Bringing Ranma and Kuraima back from China.  
  
"Saotome"  
  
Soun finally put the postcard down onto the low table. "I must   
tell the girls," he said thoughtfully to himself. "They could be here   
any minute now."  
  
The middle-aged martial artist stood up from his kneeling position   
at the head of the table. Putting a cupped hand to his mouth, he called   
out in a joyful tone.  
  
"Kasumi! Nabiki! Akane!"  
  
Pause. No answer. Now, that was odd. Where were his three little   
girls today? He was sure that they were here today since it was Sunday.   
The three never really planned anything on Sundays.  
  
He walked out of the main room and down the hall to the kitchen.   
It was around eleven-thirty in the morning, close to noon. If he figured   
right, Kasumi would be in there about now preparing lunch for the   
family.  
  
"Kasumi!" he called out, sticking his head through the open   
doorway, pausing to push aside the door awning.  
  
"Yes, Father, what is it?"  
  
Soun's eldest daughter, Kasumi, paused in her activity to address   
her father. She was nineteen years old, recently out of high school, and   
the general caretaker of the Tendou Dojo. She was fairly tall, standing   
about five-foot-five in height. Her long brown hair, tied neatly to one   
side with a white ribbon, reached to halfway down her back, and her   
dazzling grey eyes showed nothing but motherly compassion. At the   
moment, her innocent face held nothing more than a quizzical expression.  
  
"Ah! Good, Kasumi," Soun said, taking a step into the kitchen. "I   
have some good news to tell you and your sisters. Are you busy with   
lunch right now?"  
  
"Yes Father," Kasumi replied, nodding her head.  
  
"Very well then, go ahead and finish up. I'll go inform your   
sisters meanwhile. I want to tell all of you at the same time. Perhaps   
we shall do it over lunch." Turning back around, he left the kitchen   
and a very confused daughter behind him.  
  
Soun ascended the stairs at the front of the house and quickly   
made his way down the hall to his middle daughter's room. On the door   
hung a small wooden duck with the word 'Nabiki' in English lettering   
painted on it. Pausing first to knock, he opened the door halfway when   
he heard a muffled reply.  
  
"Nabiki!"  
  
Nabiki Tendou lay sprawled out on her stomach atop her bed, legs   
up in the air, reading a new manga. Her cropped, chestnut-brown hair   
perfectly framed her youthful face, giving her a very professional look.  
  
"Hmm?" Nabiki looked up as her father entered the room.  
  
"Ah, Nabiki! There you are," Soun said, stepping into his   
daughter's room. It was fairly large, bigger than the bedrooms of her   
other two sisters. Although quite big, it was sparsely furnished,   
consisting mainly of a Western-styled bed, a desk, a swivel chair, a   
bookcase, and a low table upon which sat a state-of-the-art   
entertainment centre. Decorations were also fairly sparse, while   
everything about the room gave the vague impression of meticulous order;   
nothing seemed to be out of place throughout the entire room. Soun   
focused his attention back to his daughter, who was gazing at him   
curiously.  
  
"Ah yes," he continued, pausing to clear his throat. "I have   
something to tell you and your sisters. Some very good news, as a matter   
of fact. I'd like to tell you all at once, over lunch today, so I'll   
need you downstairs in a couple of minutes."  
  
Nabiki raised a delicate eyebrow at her father. *Hmm... this   
'something' must be big stuff,* she thought, her dark brown eyes quickly   
scrutinizing her father's uncharacteristically happy disposition. She   
prized her ability to read people like a book, and so knew that her   
father was up to something.  
  
"What is it, Daddy?" she asked innocently.  
  
"Now now, Nabiki, I want to tell all of you at the same time. This   
is to be a surprise," Soun chided his daughter. It was no use. His   
middle daughter's expression went immediately from innocent to serious.  
  
"Oh, come on, Daddy. You know how much I don't like surprises.   
Tell me what you're up to."  
  
Soun sweated. Although he was quite proud of his middle daughter's   
gift for reading people's emotions, he hated it when she used it on him.  
  
"Now, Nabiki," he began, but was cut off when she suddenly sat up   
and waved her hand dismissively. She fixed him with a knowing glare.  
  
"Cut the crap already, Daddy. I know you're up to something. Now,   
either you tell me now, or I let the committee know that you're..."  
  
"Okay, okay!" Soun hurriedly cut his daughter off, not really   
wanting to touch that particular subject at the moment. He took a deep   
breath. She was the one person he couldn't fool, so he might as well   
just tell her. Besides, now that he thought about it, it would be more   
beneficial if he did tell her, because then, she could probably help him   
in placating her sister once he told them of the arrangement.  
  
"An old friend of mine is coming to visit for a while," he began.  
  
Nabiki crossed her arms in front of her chest, giving her father a   
very intimidating look. Obviously, she wasn't convinced. Soun gulped.  
  
"Is that all?"  
  
"No, no. He's bringing with him his two sons. We made an agreement   
a while back that one of his sons would marry one of you, in order to   
carry on the School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts."  
  
Nabiki sat back to digest the information her father had just   
given her. Nothing seemed suspicious about what he had told her.   
Granted, it was the twentieth century, and arranged marriages were a bit   
out of place in this day and age. However, her father was a man of   
tradition, so she wasn't too surprised that he had agreed to do   
something as outrageous as this. After all, that was how her parents had   
gotten married in the first place.  
  
"Okay," she said finally. Soun slowly let out the breath he had   
been holding. "I'll be downstairs in a minute."  
  
Soun nodded his head and backed out of his daughter's room. She   
was the diabolical one out of the three, and he had been fearing her   
reaction somewhat. But if she had taken the news well, then that meant   
that his other two daughters might also take the arrangement in stride.   
Or at least he hoped so.  
  
The elder Tendou made his way down to the end of the hall,   
stopping in front of the farthest door from the stairwell. This door was   
identical to the last, complete with a similar small wooden duck   
figurine. However, unlike the previous one, this duck had the word   
'Akane' in English lettering painted on it. This was the room of his   
youngest daughter.  
  
After a slight moment's hesitation on his part did he dare to   
knock on the bedroom door. There was no answer. After waiting another   
minute, he knocked again, a bit louder this time. Still there was no   
answer. Slowly, cautiously, he turned the brass knob and pushed open the   
door a fraction of an inch.  
  
"A- Akane?" he called out softly, not wishing to disturb his   
daughter if she happened to be asleep. Once again, his query was met   
only with silence.  
  
Tentatively, he pushed the door open a little further and shyly   
stuck his head in. The room was empty. He slowly let out the breath he   
didn't realize he had been holding. Willing his heartbeat to slow back   
down, he retracted his head from the room and silently closed the door.   
Taking a deep breath, he turned and walked back to Nabiki's room.  
  
Knocking first on the door, he entered when he heard the muffled   
reply. Nabiki was still perched atop her bed, still reading the manga   
she had been perusing earlier. He frowned a bit at this, but decided   
against saying anything.  
  
"Nabiki, do you know where Akane is?"  
  
The teenaged girl looked up with a puzzled expression. "Y'mean,   
she's not in her room?"  
  
Soun shook his head.  
  
"Well, she's probably off practicing then," she said thoughtfully.   
It was that time of the day, after all. Spotting the worried look on her   
father's face, Nabiki sighed and sat up again. "Do you want me to go get   
her?"  
  
Soun immediately broke out into a grateful smile. "Would you do   
that, Nabiki?" he asked eagerly.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, sure," she replied dismissively. "I'll go get her for   
you. We'll be there in a few minutes, Daddy."  
  
"Oh, thank you, Nabiki!" Soun hurriedly backed out of the room and   
shut the door before his daughter could change her mind. A moment later,   
he could be heard descending the staircase to the first floor of the   
house.  
  
Once the door to her room closed, Nabiki heaved a sigh and closed   
her manga. Lazily stretching out her stiff muscles, she got up off her   
bed and headed towards the door. She paused for a second with her hand   
on the knob, then slightly shook her head and stepped out into the   
hallway.  
  
Descending the stairs, she made her way to the back entrance of   
the house and through the short corridor to the dojo. The door was   
slightly ajar, and she paused outside with her hand resting lightly on   
the door, cautiously listening to the sounds coming from within. After a   
moment's hesitation, Nabiki took a deep breath and slowly pushed open   
the door.  
  
Inside the moderately sized dojo was a young girl with long blue-  
black hair, tied neatly back with a black ribbon. She was dressed in a   
dark grey gi, similar to that of her father's, with the waist loosely   
tied with a dark red belt.  
  
Nabiki watched, fascinated, as her younger sister performed a   
highly complex kata. Her form was perfect, fluid and graceful, and, to   
Nabiki's trained eyes, very powerful.  
  
Akane performed the kata effortlessly and soundlessly with her   
eyes shut tight. She worked the form at a notch slower than was supposed   
to, emphasizing control. She concentrated on her breathing, feeling   
every muscle in her youthful body flow smoothly from one aspect of the   
form to another.  
  
While flawlessly executing a back roundhouse, followed up by a low   
leg-sweep with the other leg, she suddenly felt the intruding presence   
of another enter the dojo. While still concentrating on the form, she   
carefully read the patterns in the other's aura. After a moment, she   
concluded that the other person was her sister, and moved onto the final   
leg of the kata.  
  
With a graceful backflip and a following punch to the front, Akane   
was done. Slowly, she opened her eyes, quickly taking in her   
surroundings. Her older sister stood silently in the open doorway,   
patiently waiting for her to complete her exercise. Satisfied that   
nothing was amiss, Akane turned to the family altar at the front of the   
dojo and bowed.  
  
Nabiki waited quietly while her sister completed her closing   
routine. She knew how important daily practice was to Akane, and for her   
to be interrupted before she was finished would only result in incurring   
her wrath. And Nabiki, concerned for her own safety and health, knew   
just how important it was to leave Akane alone during certain times of   
the day. And she wasn't the only one to have unfortunately learned of   
this little fact.  
  
"What is it, Nabiki?" Akane asked as she straightened up, her tone   
flat and lifeless.  
  
Nabiki, already expecting her little sister's question, quickly   
pulled herself together and replied with her carefully prepared answer.  
  
"Daddy wants to tell us something," she said, trying to sound   
casual.  
  
Akane's eyebrow arched up curiously at the little statement, but   
she said nothing. Nabiki, realizing that her sister wasn't going to   
respond, continued to talk.  
  
"I promised him that we'd be there in a couple of minutes."  
  
"Fine," Akane finally said, still not displaying any outward   
emotion. She turned from the altar and casually walked over to the   
corner by the door where her towel lay sprawled. Picking up the thick   
black cloth, she idly wiped at her sweat-covered brow and neck, then   
turned to head out the door.  
  
Nabiki quickly stepped aside as her younger sister exited the   
dojo. When Akane didn't once glance back at her as she headed towards   
the house, a strong feeling of foreboding beckoned warily from the edges   
of her subconscious.  
  
"This is not a good sign," she mumbled to herself, then turned and   
followed her sister back into the house.  
  
---  
  
It was early afternoon, and the warm spring breeze brought with it   
a feeling of freshness, of rejuvenation. There was a feeling in the air   
that seemed to foretell of new things to come.  
  
In the side yard of the Tendou Dojo lay a pond of sparkling blue,   
surrounded on all sides by granite boulders of variable size. By the   
side of the moderately sized pond stood a large stone lantern, seeming   
to act as guardian and keeper of the pond's daily rituals.  
  
Suddenly, as if an omen of ever-changing things, the calm crystal   
waters of the pond parted in circular radius, and a large golden and   
white koi leaped unrestrictedly into the open air above. Its bi-coloured   
scales gleamed brightly in the afternoon sun, as it crested its peak,   
turned on its side, then dove gracefully back beneath the waiting waters   
below.  
  
This single action of whim seemed to prompt a change in the wind   
pattern, as it suddenly shifted course, causing the tiny bell with a   
single ward hanging from its tassel to ring in prophetic chime.  
  
And so did the Fates nod in agreement with the omens of the   
future, as they began to reweave their ever-shifting webs of existence.   
The time has finally come, they whispered predictively amongst   
themselves, and so shall the Prophecy unfold.  
  
---  
  
Soun sat in contemplative silence as he studied the pond before   
him, trying to determine the best way for him to broach the subject of   
the engagement. He was confident that each of his daughters understood   
the importance of honour, and that, given time, surely one of them would   
eventually accept the honour-bound pact. However, it was their first   
reactions that he was most concerned.  
  
Taking a deep breath, Soun turned from his sitting position on the   
porch to bravely face his three daughters. The direct approach would be   
the best, he decided.  
  
"A dear, old friend of mine is coming to visit with us today," he   
began. "He's also bringing with him his two sons."  
  
*There now, see? That wasn't so hard, now was it?* he silently   
praised himself. He looked around at each of his three daughters.   
Kasumi, for once not wearing her ever-present apron, looked back at him   
with a blank expression on her face. He couldn't read what she was   
feeling, but, from her usual motherly nature, Soun knew that he would   
not have to deal with any sort of outburst from her.  
  
His attention was brought to Nabiki, who had taken to dressing in   
a light blue and white kimono for the occasion, complete with a light   
pink obi. She was smiling slightly as she looked off absently into the   
distance, perhaps because she was already figuring out how to profit   
substantially from this particular situation. Whatever it was, he was   
convinced that it would not be pretty.  
  
Finally, he glanced over at Akane. His youngest daughter merely   
stared back at him, her face completely expressionless. As the only   
martial artist of the three, he was sure that he could count on her to   
understand best the importance of maintaining honour. However, he was   
still not entirely sure just how well she would take to the arrangement.   
Soun gulped audibly. No time like now to find out.  
  
"My friend and I made an arrangement a while back, before Akane   
was borne, as a matter of fact. It was determined that if one of you   
should marry one of his sons, then the Tendou family legacy would be   
secure."  
  
Still no reaction. *Not good,* he thought, quickly glancing over   
at his youngest daughter. Her expression still remained as it had been   
when she had first entered the room; but now, her dark brown eyes seemed   
to burn intensely into his own. Quickly shaking off a strong sense of   
foreboding, he continued to talk in the intermittent silence.  
  
"The three have been on a ten-year training mission. Recently,   
they crossed into China."  
  
"Ooh, China!" Nabiki exclaimed, finally breaking the uncomfortable   
tension that had been mounting in the room. Soun was glad for the   
interruption, and silently thanked his middle daughter for her tact.  
  
"How old are they, Father?" Kasumi finally asked, her pristine   
forehead lined with unusual worry. "Younger men are so... young."  
  
"Are they cute?" Nabiki inquired. She leaned forward expectantly,   
the sides of her short bob brushing absently against the sides of her   
face.  
  
Soun laughed a bit awkwardly, bringing his hand up to scratch the   
back of his head in embarrassment. "I don't know," he said simply.  
  
"You don't know?!" Nabiki echoed, a disbelieving and disgusted   
look crossing her youthful face.  
  
Soun turned away from his daughters' glares and stared once again   
out towards the pond. "I've never met them," he stated matter-of-factly.  
  
A tense silence held prominence in the Tendou main room after   
Soun's little confession. It seemed to drag out into eternity until,   
once again, the waters of the pond parted and the large golden and white   
koi leapt forth into the air above.  
  
*Ah. It is an omen,* Soun thought, as he absently tracked the   
koi's leap. He watched as the fish crested its peak, then dove back into   
the crystal waters below. With the sound of the splash, there was once   
again a shift in the winds, causing the tiny bell above his head to   
ring. *Another omen?* Soun off-handedly wondered, staring warily up at   
the bell with a single ward hanging from its tassel. But his thoughts   
were brought up short when he heard a noise drifting in from the front   
of the house. He cocked his head slightly in response to the sound.  
  
"Put me DOWN, Pop!" a voice in high soprano called out from the   
entryway.  
  
"Oh my," Kasumi said, beginning to get up. "It seems we have   
visitors."  
  
"Ooh! It must be them!" Nabiki exclaimed, as she quickly leapt up,   
beating Kasumi, and ran out of the room and down the hall to the front   
entryway of the house.  
  
Soun quickly followed behind his middle daughter, a wide grin   
spread across his face. "Saotome, my friend!" he called out joyfully   
ahead of him. "We've been waiting!"  
  
"Oh, I do hope that they're older than me," Kasumi sighed, as she   
followed her father out of the main room. A still emotionless Akane   
silently joined her, the two girls making their way to the front of the   
house. However, their journey was cut short when their middle sister   
suddenly came screeching back from around the corner, followed by a   
very, very pale father.  
  
Kasumi glanced briefly over at Akane during the sudden commotion;   
however, her youngest sister continued to stare blankly toward the front   
of the house, seemingly unshaken by her sister and father's odd   
behaviours. Kasumi was about to turn to her father and ask what had   
happened when she noticed Akane's left eye twitch slightly. Without   
warning, the eldest Tendou sister suddenly felt the hairs on the back of   
her neck stick straight up, and she slowly forced herself to turn and   
look toward the front of the house.  
  
From around the corner of the hall suddenly appeared the ominous   
form of an overly grown panda, a kicking and screeching red and black   
bundle tossed carelessly over its left shoulder. The two figures came to   
a halt five feet from the frightened Tendou elder.  
  
"Let me GO, Pop!" The bundle screeched in high soprano, the while   
beating with balled fists upon the panda's back. "You're scarin' 'em   
spitless!"  
  
Finally regaining her wits, Kasumi opened her mouth to say   
something when a sudden movement in the background cut her off.  
  
From behind the huge and bulky form of the panda, previously   
hidden within the great animal's shadow, stepped forth a third figure.  
  
Standing easily to the height of Kasumi's waist, its dark red and   
white fur and deep blue eyes glinting maliciously in the early afternoon   
sunlight, a large wolf with an extremely long tail that wound its length   
around the base of the tail walked calmly and stealthily from around the   
huge panda, standing to rest between the large animal and the head of   
the Tendou household. With its sudden appearance, the red and black   
bundle suddenly stopped squirming in the panda's grasp, allowing the   
great beast to lift it up off its shoulder and place it feet first onto   
the wooden floor, next to the large wolf that stood waiting.  
  
"Oh my," Kasumi finally gasped, no longer able to keep quiet.  
  
The sound of Kasumi's voice in the ensuing silence suddenly seemed   
to break Soun from his paralytic trance, as he stared wide-eyed at the   
three strange figures before him. His wandering gaze finally focused   
upon the petite redhead, who stood before him with her head bowed.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Soun raised a shaking   
hand and pointed at the redhead.  
  
"You... wouldn't be..." he began, but quickly found himself too   
afraid to continue.  
  
The redhead in question started a bit at the sound of his voice in   
the oppressing silence that had seemed to engulf the entire household,   
but then quickly looked away.  
  
"I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry 'bout this."  
  
The introduction and apology was said so softly that Soun and the   
others had to strain in order to hear it. The wolf next to the redhead   
shifted a bit, as it, too, bowed its great head, seemingly also in   
apology.  
  
Although still quite a bit shaken by the three strange figures,   
Soun inwardly rejoiced at the mention of the Saotome name. At last, this   
was it! The ones he had been waiting for had finally come!  
  
"At last... you're here..." he said tentatively, reaching out to   
grasp the redhead's shoulders. The redhead looked up with a puzzled   
expression at the older man, cheeks tainted pink with embarrassment.   
The wolf also looked up, albeit in a curious manner.  
  
Nabiki, finally gathering her own wits about her, mentally scolded   
herself for allowing herself to show fear. However, her thoughts   
immediately resumed track as she got her first good look at the redhead   
before her. Although quite small, in fact, shorter than she was in   
height, the other possessed what seemed to be a strong, albeit lean,   
physical build, high cheekbones, and a strong, albeit delicate, jawline.   
A thick shock of bright scarlet locks, tied securely into fashionable   
pigtail that fell down to about mid-back, hung down in thick locks about   
the face, partially obscuring twin pools of bright blue.  
  
Nabiki, hands clasped tightly onto her father's arm, smiled   
deliciously as she eyed the redhead in front of her with the scrutiny of   
a hawk. "Ooh! He is cute!" she exclaimed to nobody in particular. Profit   
signs immediately began dancing across her field of vision, as she began   
visualizing her schemes.  
  
Soun, startled back to reality when his middle daughter suddenly   
grasped onto his outstretched arm, took his first good look at his   
petite guest since their arrival.  
  
True, Ranma was a bit short for his age, barely reaching up to his   
shoulders in height, and his voice had a bit more maturing to do;   
however, these qualities were very minor compared to the rest of the   
boy.  
  
Soun, as a trained martial artist, quickly took in the redhead's   
stance and posture. Relaxed, yet alert; these were the unmistakable   
traits of a very well trained and experienced martial artist. And,   
judging from the younger boy's physique, he was quite pleased to note   
that his friend Genma had not allowed his son to go soft during their   
long years of training. And speaking of Genma, where was his childhood   
friend? And what about his other son? Where was he?  
  
Pushing the questions to the back of his mind for later   
consideration, Soun let the emotions of the moment overwhelm him. Barely   
holding back tears of joy, he brazenly hugged the younger boy to him in   
his excitement. However, as he held the boy to him, a feeling that   
something was not quite right began to nag at the edges of his   
consciousness.  
  
Snapping his eyes open in shocked disbelief, the elder Tendou   
discretely hugged the redhead a little tighter to him. Not believing the   
strange and long-forgotten sensations that he was feeling, Soun repeated   
his actions a couple more times. There it was again, that same   
disturbing feeling that something wasn't right.  
  
Pushing the teenaged boy away from him, he quickly let go of the   
boy's shoulders as if they were made of burning coals. Slowly, he let   
his eyes travel down from the boy's face to his chest. There, confirming   
the nagging suspicions that had formed in the back of his mind, was what   
appeared to be an ample protrusion in the upper chest area of the boy.   
Suddenly, Soun's mind froze with the implications of what that   
protrusion meant.  
  
Nabiki, observing her father's strange behaviour toward the boy,   
decided to get a better look at her new potential "fiance". Following   
her father's gaze, she stared at the redhead's chest. Nabiki blinked.   
Stunned, she unconsciously let go of her father's arm, who shakily took   
a step back, eyes wide with disbelief.  
  
Taking a step in front of her shocked father, Nabiki bent down to   
get an even better look at the redhead's chest. Her dark brown eyes   
narrowed as she stared, her fair brow crinkling with confusion over what   
she saw in front of her. Then, without warning, her hand shot up as she   
began poking the embarrassed guest's chest.  
  
*No way!* Nabiki thought, as she stopped her poking in favour of   
fondling the stranger's chest. *But it feels so real...* Absorbed in her   
thoughts, the middle Tendou daughter failed to notice the annoyed looks   
on both the guest whose chest she was probing, as well as on the large   
wolf that was standing beside them. Suddenly, the only warning given was   
the low growl that escaped its great throat, the wolf snapped its jaws   
towards Nabiki's outstretched hand.  
  
Feeling the hairs on the back of her neck suddenly stand straight   
up on end, Nabiki gasped and drew her hand back just in time, as the   
wolf's powerful jaws snapped loudly shut on thin air. More shocked than   
scared, Nabiki backed up a couple of steps until she was once again   
standing behind her father, hands now clutched protectively to her own   
chest.  
  
The wolf, whose dark blue eyes were fixed steadfastly upon   
Nabiki's retreating form, prepared to follow after her, but was stopped   
when the redhead placed a delicate hand upon its shoulder. Shooting one   
last growl towards the offending girl, it contented itself by remaining   
to stand between the Tendous and the redhead.  
  
"Wha- What is the meaning of this?!" Soun shakily demanded,   
finally having regained his senses.  
  
When the redhead refused to answer by turning to stare out towards   
the pond that lay in the middle of the Tendou's side yard, Soun turned   
to his middle daughter, who seemed to be in the midst of a staring   
contest with the wolf.  
  
"Well?!" Soun demanded again, startling his middle daughter, who   
jumped a little at the uncharacteristic harshness in his voice.  
  
"That little BEAST just tried to eat me!" Nabiki cried back at her   
father, pointing an accusing finger at the now growling wolf, who flexed   
its jaws as if in confirmation of her statement. Her accusation caused   
the redhead to suddenly whirl back around, livid fire dancing around   
behind her bright blue eyes.  
  
"Well, he wouldn't've had to if ya hadn't poked me in the chest!"   
the redhead screeched, one foot taking a threatening step forward, fists   
clenched tightly at her sides. The wolf nodded its great head in   
agreement, dark blue eyes staring hungrily at the middle Tendou girl.  
  
Soun had heard enough. Turning on his middle daughter, he gave her   
a very reprimanding look. "Nabiki! Why did you poke him in the chest?   
That was very rude of you!"  
  
Nabiki was taken aback. First, she had just barely escaped being   
eaten alive by a huge, monstrous beast, and now, her own father was   
scolding her! He NEVER did that! Just what the HELL was going on around   
here?! She threw a brief glance over at her two sisters before   
answering. Kasumi simply stared back at her, a worried look marring her   
pristine features. Akane, on the other hand, seemed to be fixed on the   
fuming redhead, an amused look briefly crossing her face before it fell   
back into its usual expressionless mode.  
  
*Ah... So, she knows too,* Nabiki thought, as she turned back to   
her father, her usual mask of controlled indifference now adorning her   
youthful face.  
  
"'Him'?" she asked, raising a delicate eyebrow as she crossed her   
arms in front of her. "That," she continued, tilting her head slightly   
to indicate the still-seething redhead, "...Daddy, is a girl."  
  
Nabiki waited patiently as her words slowly sank into her father's   
thick skull. She stole an amused glance over at the newly exposed   
redhead, who simply stood there with mouth agape and eyes wide.   
*Probably,* Nabiki assumed, *because I just exposed their little scheme,   
whatever it was.*  
  
Nabiki's words finally registered in Soun's head, as he suddenly   
lost all composure. "A... a- a girl?!" he cried out to no one in   
particular, before the world suddenly went black and he crashed heavily   
to the floor.  
  
---  
  
Soun slowly awoke to the sounds of bickering voices overhead. His   
head ached, severely, and he pondered briefly as to the cause of it.   
Then he remembered, every single moment of that strange afternoon   
encounter. His head throbbed even more. His friend, his childhood   
friend... the one with whom he grew up with... trained in the martial   
arts with... He had lied to him! Betrayed him, even! The pain he felt   
then was almost too harsh to bear.  
  
A new sensation suddenly flooded his senses, cutting through all   
of the pain he was feeling. Something had landed on his face - his cheek   
to be more precise. It was light, and had a very silky texture to it.   
His mind quickly made the connections to that of a flower petal. Slowly,   
he opened his eyes.  
  
The first thing that he noticed was that it was now late   
afternoon, perhaps just an hour left before sunset. How long had he been   
unconscious? Three hours, perhaps? Maybe four. He couldn't tell. Then he   
noticed the figures above him, surrounding him from head to foot.   
Kasumi, his eldest daughter, sat quietly at his head, and was the first   
to notice that he was awake.  
  
"Oh, look everyone," she said, gently removing the wet washcloth   
from her father's forehead, "I think Father's coming to."  
  
The loud bickering suddenly ceased at the sound of Kasumi's voice,   
for which Soun was immensely grateful, the pain in his head subsiding a   
great deal. His loving daughter replaced the newly soaked cloth back   
onto his forehead, soothing the pain even more.  
  
"This is all your fault, Daddy," Nabiki's shrill voice suddenly   
cutting through the thick silence, causing Soun to wince at the   
resulting pain that rang through his aching head. He looked up at his   
daughter, her youthful face twisted up into a mask of annoyance and   
accusation. "I'd've thought you knew the difference between a boy and a   
girl," she finished, crossing her arms in front of her for effect.  
  
Soun groaned and turned his eyes up to the ceiling. Today was not   
turning out the way he'd expected. "I assumed my friend Genma's twins   
were both boys," he said defensively, his voice coming out as a slight   
croak.  
  
"'Twins'?" Kasumi echoed, a puzzled expression on her face.  
  
Nabiki snorted. "That's right, there're two of them. This one,   
however," she indicated by once again reaching out to grapple the   
redhead's chest who sat silently next to her, "...is a girl."  
  
The redhead's face immediately contorted into an annoyed   
expression that matched part-for-part Nabiki's own, but she made no   
motions to throw her assailant's hand off. She did, however, mutter   
beneath her breath.  
  
"Would you please stop that?"  
  
Without prior warning, a blur that was later realized to be   
Akane's hand shot over from across the other side of the redhead to   
firmly grasp onto Nabiki's outstretched wrist, knocking the stunned   
redhead back over onto the floor behind them in the process.  
  
Nabiki, about to retort to her little sister's sudden action,   
stopped immediately when she realized just how Akane was holding onto   
her wrist. Her eyes widened in a rare show of fear.  
  
Akane's strong hand was wrapped strategically about her small   
wrist, firmly but not tightly. However, Nabiki knew from experience that   
if she'd wanted to, Akane could easily break her wrist with just one   
small squeeze. But that was not what was scaring her. Instead, it was   
the way Akane was holding onto her wrist that frightened her. Wrapped   
completely about the circumference of her small wrist, Akane's middle   
finger was placed directly over a strategic location along the inside of   
her wrist. It was a pain grip. If Akane was to squeeze, Nabiki knew that   
she would be feeling immense amounts of pain in the process of having   
her wrist broken. And if she were to try to break free of her sister's   
grip, the placement of Akane's other fingers would ensure that she would   
merely end up breaking her own wrist herself. Knowing the best option in   
that particular situation, Nabiki froze.  
  
Akane, feeling her older sister react, cracked a crooked half-  
smile that didn't reach her dark brown eyes. Before too long, however,   
her youthful face lost its ability to retain that haunting smile,   
falling once again back into its usual expressionless mask.  
  
"Don't do it again, Nabiki," the youngest Tendou said, her voice   
as matching her face. She gave Nabiki's wrist a slight squeeze before   
finally letting go, making Nabiki wince in pain. The middle Tendou   
daughter immediately began rubbing her sore wrist, as she quickly sought   
refuge behind the ever-calm Kasumi.  
  
"I'm going to work out," Akane suddenly announced, looking as if   
she had never threatened to break her own sister's wrist, as she lithely   
stood up and stretched. She then turned and headed out of the living   
room and down the hall towards the dojo.  
  
Ranma sat there stunned, her heart racing. *That girl just   
defended me...* she thought, her mind in a whirl of chaos. *She didn't   
really have to; I coulda taken care of myself, y'know.* But then her   
expression softened a bit as she considered the other girl's gesture.   
*Hmm... maybe not everyone around here is weird.*  
  
Then she noticed the other girl leaving the room. Quickly, she   
jumped to her feet and raced out of the room and down the hall after   
her. Following close behind was the wolf, who had been sitting with the   
panda earlier against the back wall.  
  
Ranma quickly caught up with the other girl and fell into step   
behind her, the wolf following behind.  
  
"H- Hey!" Ranma called out in an attempt to get the other girl's   
attention.  
  
Akane stopped suddenly, forcing Ranma to quickly sidestep in order   
to avoid bumping into her. The wolf, however, was not so lucky and ended   
up bumping its great head into the back of Ranma's leg. Ranma, after   
giving the animal a reproachful glance back, turned back to the other   
girl with a hesitant smile on her face. Relief came when the other's   
indifferent expression softened a bit.  
  
"Umm... H- Hi," Ranma said hesitantly, suddenly nervous beneath   
the other's inscrutable gaze.  
  
"What is it?" Akane asked calmly, not bothering to return the   
other's greeting.  
  
Ranma frowned inwardly at this, but let it pass. Now was   
definitely not the time to mess up her only chance at a friend around   
here.  
  
"I- I... uh... just wanted to thank you, for... um... helpin' me   
out back there," Ranma managed to get out without too much flubbing. She   
then followed up with a deep bow to the waist. She was a bit surprised   
when she suddenly felt a light hand on her shoulder. Puzzled, she   
glanced up at the other girl, and blinked.  
  
Akane stood there, left hand extended, calmly looking down at the   
redheaded girl. But something was different about this Akane that Ranma   
now found herself staring at. For the very first time since she had   
arrived at the Tendou household, Ranma was surprised to discover the   
youngest daughter actually smiling. She blinked a second time. Now, she   
was really confused. *Just what the heck is it with this girl?* she   
wondered offhandedly, beginning to find herself becoming mesmerized by   
the other girl's hypnotic smile. A strange warmth began to spread   
through her as she stared at Akane, intoxicating her, which only served   
to further confuse her first impressions of the youngest Tendou girl.   
She only vaguely noticed when the warmth spread to her head, faintly   
colouring her delicate cheeks.  
  
"Do you wanna spar?" Akane asked suddenly, her low, sultry voice   
sharply cutting through the magical blanket of seduction that had   
tangibly surrounded the two.  
  
Ranma blinked again, suddenly snapping out of her euphoria-like   
trance at the sound of Akane's voice. It took her a couple of seconds to   
finally register the other girl's unexpected request.  
  
"Umm... Y- Yeah... I'd really like that," Ranma stuttered, feeling   
suddenly embarrassed at her uncharacteristic behaviour.  
  
"Good," Akane replied, still smiling at the blushing redhead.   
Removing her hand from the other's shoulder, she turned and continued on   
towards the dojo without another word or glance back to check if the   
other girl was following her.  
  
Ranma stood there for a few seconds, vainly striving to compose   
herself as she watched Akane's retreating back. Her thoughts were cut   
off when she felt something nudge against her leg. Looking down, she saw   
the wolf looking up at her with piercing blue eyes, which left hers   
briefly to follow the quickly disappearing figure of the Tendou girl.  
  
Ranma let out a sigh as she felt some of her previous tension   
leave her.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I know," she said tiredly to the animal, who suddenly   
turned to glare back at her. She sighed again. Life seemed to become   
even more interesting at the Tendou's the longer she stayed here. "Come   
on, let's go."  
  
Turning, she hurried to catch up with the other girl, the large   
wolf trotting eagerly behind.  
  
---  
  
"So, I take it you've studied kenpo," Akane stated more than   
asked.  
  
Ranma fidgeted as she followed the other girl into the dojo.   
"Well, yeah, a little," she replied a bit shyly, then turned to glare at   
the wolf behind her when it snorted softly in disgust.  
  
Ranma looked around the dojo in awe. Although somewhat small in   
size, the traditional building was still nonetheless impressive. Along   
one wall were hung several different weapons, including bokkens,   
katanas, Western-styled broadswords, kamas and nunchucks. To the front   
of the dojo, perched high upon the wall, was a traditional family altar,   
and Ranma respectfully bowed before taking position opposite the other   
girl.  
  
Akane had been completely silent since first entering the Tendou   
family dojo, and now took her place opposite her guest, unconsciously   
falling into her favourite stance - one that allowed freedom of   
movement, the while ensuring maximum power behind her hits. She raised a   
curious eyebrow when Ranma, after politely bowing, took up her stance.   
The youthful redhead stood opposite with both hands clasped loosely   
behind her, her right foot drawn back slightly. For all appearances,   
Ranma was leaving herself completely open to attacks. But Akane, a   
fourth dan herself in the art of kenpo, wasn't really fooled by her   
opponent's opening stance, especially when she saw the redhead bend   
forward slightly at the waist.  
  
Akane opened up with an experimental punch to the front, and was   
not too surprised to see Ranma suddenly leap straight up in order to   
avoid the powered missile. Akane inwardly grinned. This was going to be   
fun.  
  
Ranma, after returning back to the ground after her initial jump,   
was forced to suddenly drop to the floor as Akane's right foot flashed   
out in a powerful sidekick right where her head would have been. But   
before she could think, Ranma rolled forward to come to stand behind   
Akane, as the Tendou girl's leg slashed down from where it hung in the   
air after its initial attack. Ranma then performed an freehand cartwheel   
to the side as Akane's left leg lashed out in a low leg sweep behind   
her. She quickly backed off a few paces and began to circle around the   
dojo as she faced her opponent, Akane doing likewise.  
  
Akane frowned as she sized up her opponent, her delicate features   
darkening slightly. The redhead was good, no doubt about that; but she   
didn't strike back either. Something was wrong... She could feel it.  
  
Ranma paced slowly around the alert Tendou girl, trying to   
anticipate the other girl's next move. Something about Akane bothered   
her, but she couldn't place her finger on it. Taking a quick glance at   
the wolf, who had taken to sitting in one corner of the dojo closest to   
the open shouji, her suspicions were confirmed when she spotted the   
animal also peering curiously at the blue-haired girl. *Something's just   
not right about her,* Ranma thought, as she continued circling the other   
girl, hands once again clasped behind her back.  
  
Suddenly, without warning, Akane charged her, causing the redhead   
to vault over the other girl's head in order to avoid being pushed back   
into a corner. Akane took this opportunity to take a back-swing at Ranma   
as she was descending, catching the unguarded girl full in the side with   
her fist. Ranma flew to one side of the dojo, crashing full-on into the   
wall that unsuspectingly got in her way. The wolf winced slightly at the   
loud impact.  
  
Ranma rose a bit shakily to her feet, clutching at her now bruised   
side. She winced a little at the pain. *Man, this girl's got some   
serious strength. Better be more careful about avoiding her hits,* she   
thought absently, once again circling the other girl. This time,   
however, both hands were now up in a defensive position in front of her.  
  
Akane smirked when Ranma finally brought her hands into play.   
Perhaps now the other girl would take this fight a little more   
seriously. She focused again on her opponent.  
  
Ranma waited anxiously for Akane's next move, wondering what else   
the dark blue-haired girl was capable of. She didn't have to wait long.  
  
Akane, again without any prior warning, bum-rushed the waiting   
redhead yet again. Ranma, not one to fall for the same trick twice,   
leapt to the side. That was a mistake.  
  
Akane, apparently anticipating the other's move, stopped just in   
front of the redhead, executed a perfect cartwheel to the same side,   
then lashed out in a powerful roundhouse that Ranma was barely able to   
block at the last minute before back-flipping out of the way. Akane   
grinned, her dark brown eyes gleaming with a predatory light that sent   
untold shivers down Ranma's spine.  
  
*Man, she's pretty good,* Ranma thought with no small amount of   
awe and respect for the girl. *But I gotta beat her. How the heck am I   
gonna do that without hittin' her, though?*  
  
Ranma's thoughtful frown suddenly turned into a smile as she came   
up with a plan. With a loud battle cry, she charged the unsuspecting   
girl.  
  
Akane blinked in shock as the redhead suddenly came veering   
towards her. Not knowing what else to do, she vaulted over the other   
girl's head just as she rushed past underneath, then quickly turned   
around once her feet touched the ground again. Ranma likewise turned   
about face.  
  
Spurred on by the other girl's sudden change in attitude, Akane   
decided to attempt hand-to-hand combat. Rushing the stoic redhead, the   
young Tendou girl quickly went into a combination of punches, jabs and   
elbow strikes, all of which Ranma either blocked or dodged. Determined   
to get at least one more good hit in, Akane pressed on, slipping in and   
out of the various hand forms she knew.  
  
The sheer power and force behind the constant onslaught of blows   
was beginning to tell on Ranma, as she was slowly forced to give ground   
to the flurry that was Akane. After a full minute of this, Ranma   
suddenly felt the dojo wall behind her back. Desperate to escape her now   
vulnerable position, Ranma began to look for an opening in Akane's   
defenses. Then she spotted it.  
  
Bending slightly at the knees, Ranma used the spring in the dojo's   
wooden floor boards to propel herself upwards over the other girl's   
head, just as her fist came rushing past beneath her in a straight   
forward punch. The momentum of Akane's punch, coupled with the sudden   
lack of a person in front of her, caused Akane's fist to crash straight   
through the wall of the dojo.  
  
Ranma, meanwhile, used her own momentum to do a full body twist in   
the air at the peak of her vault, coming to land behind Akane, facing   
her. When she heard the sound of boards breaking, Ranma didn't hesitate   
her advantage. She lightly tapped the back of Akane's head, then took a   
step back, hands once again clasped behind her back.  
  
Akane blinked when she felt the light tap at the back of her head,   
then slowly turned around, her fist still imbedded wrist deep into the   
wall. Ranma stood behind her, one hand now nervously rubbing the back of   
her head. Her mouth was upturned into a somewhat apologetic smile as she   
stared back at Akane.  
  
Akane blinked again, as she calmly recalled the previous events.   
Then, for the second time that day, Akane smiled as she gently pried her   
fist from the hole she had made. Turning around completely, she bowed   
respectfully to the other girl, who awkwardly returned the gesture.   
Then, walking to the centre of the dojo, the youngest Tendou daughter   
bowed methodically to the family altar. Ranma quickly followed suit.  
  
"You're pretty good," Akane finally spoke, breaking the silence   
like so much shattered glass.  
  
"Huh?" Ranma answered intelligently, earning a snort of disgust   
from the wolf, who had risen and was now heading for the door.  
  
"It'd be a shame if you were a guy," Akane said thoughtfully, as   
she stepped out of the dojo on her way back to the house, pausing to pet   
the wolf on the way.  
  
"W- What?" Ranma asked of no one in particular, suddenly shocked   
when Akane's words finally registered. She stood motionless in the   
centre of the dojo as she watched the other girl's retreating back. When   
Akane was finally out of sight, having disappeared into the house, Ranma   
slowly turned to face the wolf, which appeared to be just as shocked as   
she was. It looked up at her.  
  
"Now what do we do?" Ranma asked the large animal. All it could do   
was shrug, the best way that a large wolf could shrug. After another   
minute, wherein the silence that dominated the dojo could almost be cut   
with a sharp knife, the two finally headed back to the house.  
  
(End of Part 01)  
---  
1. shouji - wood and rice paper doors that are typical of a traditional   
Japanese home.  
---  
Notes:  
  
I believe that the exchange in Nabiki's bedroom between her and   
her father depicted above helps to explain how Nabiki did not seem all   
that surprised when "formally" informed of the engagement in the family   
room, unlike her sisters in the anime, who were both shocked. If you   
look again, you will see that Nabiki is actually smiling, telling us   
that she already knew about it beforehand.  
  
The fight scene between Akane and Ranma took several days to   
perfect. I had to make it appear that Akane was much more advanced in   
her training than we have previously scene in the series. Her skills   
will become much more evident in the chapters to come. 


	3. The Twisted Hand of Fate

Sons of the Apocalypse  
  
A Ranma 1/2 alternate fanwork by Wolfye Productions, Inc.  
- http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=276284  
  
All Ranma 1/2 characters are (c) Rumiko Takahashi, Viz Communications,   
Inc., Shogakukan, Inc., Kitty Films and Fuji TV. Characters are used   
without the express prior permission of the aforementioned. Story   
concept, other characters and original situations are (c) Wolfye   
Productions, Inc.; this fanfic is written for entertainment purposes   
only.  
=-=-=-=-=  
  
Part 02: The Twisted Hand of Fate  
  
  
Ranma trotted lightly behind the eldest Tendou daughter as the   
two silently ascended the front staircase, an overly large pack slung   
over her right shoulder. Behind her treaded the long-tailed wolf, an   
equally large pack swinging precariously from its large jaws.  
  
"My," Kasumi said finally, in an attempt to break the awkward   
silence, "Your pet really does work hard, doesn't it?"  
  
Ranma merely made a sort of muffled coughing sound behind her,   
while the large animal snarled softly in response.  
  
The three finally reached the landing and turned to go down the   
short hallway. About three-fourths of the way down, just before the   
hall made a sharp turn to the right, Kasumi stopped before a double set   
of shouji. Pushing aside the right half, she took a step through the   
opened entryway and into a rather large guestroom. Ranma and the wolf   
followed in after her.  
  
"Here you are, Ranma," Kasumi said cheerfully, turning around to   
face the shorter girl. "You can stay in this room."  
  
Ranma slowly let her pack drop to the floor, which made a loud   
thumping noise in the process; the wolf did likewise with similar   
results.  
  
*Goodness! What in the world are in those packs?* Kasumi wondered   
while she waited for Ranma to take a look around.  
  
Ranma straightened back up, her bright blue eyes quickly scanning   
the room's interior. Aside from a large dresser, a low table with a   
small lamp perched on it, and a small vase of cherry twigs that sat on   
the low windowsill, the large room was virtually barren, radiating an   
almost empty atmosphere.  
  
Walking over to the small closet, she pushed the door open and   
glanced inside. Within the tiny room were neatly stacked two twin-sized   
futons, a couple of blankets, and two pillows. Nodding her head, she   
turned back around to face the other girl, shutting the door behind   
her.  
  
"Umm... Could we get another bed in here? My, uh, pop and bro are   
gonna get here later tonight."  
  
Kasumi frowned slightly at the younger girl's rough language, but   
nodded her head. "Sure thing, Ranma. I'll bring it up after dinner."  
  
"Oh no, that's okay," Ranma quickly replied. "I wouldn't want to   
trouble you; I can go get it myself."  
  
"Nonsense," Kasumi softly chided, then smiled. She was glad that   
she did when she saw Ranma relax a little. She handed the girl the set   
of towels she had been carrying.  
  
"Here you go. You can take a bath now if you like."  
  
Ranma's muscles seemingly groaned in delight at the mention of a   
bath, and her side muscles ached in remembrance of that one hit Akane   
had dealt her earlier that afternoon. But, despite her aching body, a   
wave of intense fear and apprehension suddenly overcame her, quickly   
drowning out her body's protests.  
  
"Umm... No thanks," she said, trying to keep the fear out of her   
voice.  
  
Kasumi smiled. "You've been practicing, haven't you?" she   
politely referred to the other girl's obvious body odor.  
  
Ranma blushed and looked down. "Uh... yes," she meekly replied,   
suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious in front of the other girl.   
She glanced over at the wolf, whose dark blue eyes seemed to be   
laughing at her. She quickly looked away in annoyance, muttering   
something incoherent beneath her breath.  
  
"Well then," Kasumi said, turning to leave. "Go ahead and take a   
bath. Dinner should be ready shortly."  
  
Ranma nodded absently, then paused.  
  
"Uh... 'scuse me..."  
  
The elder girl stopped and turned to look back at the other girl,   
her loose ponytail swaying slightly with the movement.  
  
"Yes, Ranma? What is it?"  
  
"Umm..." Ranma hesitated, awkwardly scuffling her feet. "Do you   
think I could get another towel?"  
  
Kasumi blinked for a moment at the unexpected request, then   
quickly recovered herself, blushing slightly at her apparent rudeness.   
If Ranma noticed her social blunder, she made no comment.  
  
"Why, yes, of course," she replied. "Come follow me downstairs.   
The linen closet's on the way to the kitchen."  
  
Turning back around, she exited the guestroom and headed for the   
stairwell, Ranma and the wolf following behind a moment later.  
  
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, Kasumi turned to head down the   
hallway that led to the kitchen, but stopped first in front of a door   
at the head of the hallway. Opening it, she removed another set of   
towels, handed them to the girl behind her, then closed the door and   
continued on towards the kitchen. She paused just before entering and   
turned to face the redhead.  
  
"At the end of this hallway, you'll turn left into the main room.   
Just go on through to the other hallway and turn right. The bathroom is   
the last door on you right."  
  
With that, she disappeared within the confines of the kitchen.  
  
Ranma watched the other girl disappear, then turned and walked   
down to the end of the hallway and through the empty family room to the   
other hallway, where she turned right and followed the corridor until   
it abruptly ended after making another right turn. As Kasumi had said,   
there was a single door to her right with a "Knock First" sign hanging   
from its brass doorknob. Hesitating for just a moment, she knocked   
loudly on the door when the wolf impatiently nudged her leg with its   
great head. Hearing no reply from within, she slowly opened the door   
and stepped inside.  
  
"Uh... Hello?" Is anyone in here?" she called out. There was no   
answer.  
  
Heaving a sigh of relief, Ranma opened the door a little further   
to let the wolf in, then quickly closed it again.  
  
"Looks like the coast is clear, bro," she said aloud, as she   
quickly removed her chan saam and pants and recklessly tossed them into   
the laundry bin. A pair of boy's boxer shorts soon joined the rumpled   
pile. She then dumped a change of clothes and two clean boxers onto the   
floor beside the basket and followed the wolf to the adjoining   
bathroom.  
  
Pausing once more to knock on the screen door, Ranma slid open   
the door when there was no answer. She entered the bathing area,   
followed by the wolf, and dumped the two sets of towels down onto the   
floor next to the door. She then closed the door behind them and headed   
for the faucets. Glancing over at the rather large furo, she noticed   
that it was already filled and waiting for an occupant. She smiled. A   
long hot soak right now would do her wonders of good.  
  
Sitting down on one of the low stools, she grabbed an empty   
bucket and filled it with cold water then dumped the entire contents   
over the wolf, which growled softly in return. Taking up a rag and bar   
of soap, she began scrubbing the large animal clean of any dirt.  
  
"Looks like we're gonna hafta get our own bath stuff," she noted   
absently, to which the wolf nodded in agreement.  
  
When she was done, she filled the bucket again and rinsed off the   
animal. Finished with that task, she refilled the bucket and began   
scrubbing herself down, then poured the water over her.  
  
"Ooh! That's c-cold!" she cried out when the icy water hit her   
flesh. Still shivering, she got up and eagerly headed for the steaming   
furo, the wolf following beside her.  
  
---  
  
Nabiki walked slowly to the bathroom, completely lost in thought.   
There was something weird about that girl Ranma; she just knew it. But   
what? And just what was it with that dog of hers? She knew dogs were   
supposed to be protective of their masters, but that girl should really   
keep better control over her pet if she didn't want that thing to get   
impounded someday. At least keep it on a leash.  
  
Nabiki huffed. What irked her the most about this whole thing was   
that she couldn't seem to come up with a logical explanation for what   
was bothering her so much about the new guests. It was just... a   
feeling.  
  
She finally reached the bathroom door, but just as she was about   
to go in she noticed the sign on the door. Someone was using it.   
Pressing her ear up against the door, she soon heard the telltale   
splashes of water coming from within. Well then, she guessed she could   
wait until whoever was in there finished with their bath.  
  
Turning around, she headed back to the main room of the house. As   
it was almost dinnertime, she wasn't too surprised to see that Kasumi   
had already set the table in preparation for the coming meal.  
  
*Hmmm... Might as well see if Kasumi needs help with anything,*   
she thought, as she turned and headed for the kitchen. As she left, she   
idly noticed the three extra placesets at the table, instead of the one   
she had been expecting. She shrugged. The time for questions would be   
later.  
  
As she passed by the tea room, she glanced her father sitting in   
the dark with a large overweight man, the likes of whom she had never   
seen before. Backtracking, she peeped back inside the room again, the   
glow of the setting sun through the open porch doors helping to   
illuminate the contents within the darkened room.  
  
Sitting cross-legged upon the richly matted floor of the smaller   
room, enormously large hands resting lightly upon his knees, the   
stranger sat stoically opposite her father, both turned with their   
sides to the open doorway. Her father sat facing the strange man in   
similar fashion, but with his arms crossed over his chest. Both faces   
were set in grave, yet contemplative, expressions, and, as Nabiki noted   
with some curiosity, there was a hint of moisture upon their cheeks   
that briefly reflected the late afternoon sunlight. Neither appeared to   
notice her presence.  
  
*Crying?* she thought, retracting her head from the doorway.   
Pondering this newest turn of events, the middle Tendou girl continued   
her trek towards the kitchen, where she found her older sister quietly   
humming to herself while she perused the contents of the refrigerator.  
  
"Hey, Kasumi," she called out, pushing aside the door awning as   
she took a step into the moderately sized kitchen. "Who's that strange   
man sitting in our living room?"  
  
"Who knows," Kasumi answered, briefly glancing up at her younger   
sister. She finally straightened back up with two bottles of sake in   
one hand and closed the refrigerator door with the other.  
  
"Could you go tell Akane that she can take her bath now?"  
  
"But there's somebody already in there," Nabiki said, moving to   
help her sister with the bottles while the other girl reached into the   
cupboard for a loaf of bread.  
  
"Oh, that must still be Ranma," the elder girl replied, glancing   
over at the digital clock on the microwave. "That's odd. She's been in   
there for the past half-hour now. I guess the two of them must have had   
a rather rough workout today."  
  
She turned back to her sister. "Go ahead and tell Akane; I'm sure   
she'll be out soon. And if not, they're both girls. I'm sure they've   
gotten to be good friends by now."  
  
Nabiki raised one delicate eyebrow at her sister's somewhat   
casual statement regarding their younger sister's disposition, but said   
nothing. She handed the bottles back to Kasumi as she headed back out   
of the kitchen.  
  
"Okay."  
  
Heading down the hallway towards the front stairwell, she slowly   
ascended the fifteen steps to the second floor. By taking her time, she   
hoped that Ranma would have finished and left the bathroom by the time   
she reached Akane's room.  
  
Passing by her room, she decided to go in and pick out a magazine   
for later browsing. Opening the door, she leisurely made her way to the   
bookcase, where she began perusing her collection for a suitable   
magazine to read. After a couple of minutes, she found a satisfactory   
one and headed back out of her room, closing the door behind her. The   
little duck on her door made a soft rattling noise as the door quietly   
clicked shut.  
  
*No more avoiding it,* she thought as she slowly made her way to   
the end of the hallway where Akane's room was. Hesitating for just a   
moment while she tried to push her nervousness back down to her   
stomach, Nabiki finally knocked softly on the door.  
  
A soft rustling of movement could be heard from the other side of   
the closed door, quickly followed by a rather toneless voice.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Akane, it's me. Can I open the door?" Nabiki called out, feeling   
a bit self-conscious standing out in the hallway.  
  
"Go ahead."  
  
Reaching out with a trembling hand, Nabiki carefully turned the   
doorknob and pushed open the door just far enough to stick her head   
through, which she cautiously did after another moment's hesitation.  
  
"Kasumi said to tell you that you could take a bath now if you   
want," she called inside to the figure behind the door.  
  
"Okay," the voice inside replied, although in a much clearer tone   
than before.  
  
"And dinner's going to be ready in about half-an-hour."  
  
No answer this time. Nabiki quickly pulled her head back out and   
softly shut the door behind her. Her little sister was sure acting   
strange today; usually, she'd say a little more than just a few words   
at a time.  
  
*I wonder how that sparring match went,* she thought as she   
descended the stairs. Something must have happened for Akane to be   
acting so skittish all of a sudden.  
  
Passing by the living room, Nabiki saw that the room was now   
empty. A quick glance into the family room confirmed that her father   
and the stranger had moved locations, and were now toasting each other   
with bottles of sake while talking good-naturedly amongst themselves.   
Gone now was the sad and melancholic atmosphere that had hung over them   
before in the other room.  
  
*So much for reading before dinner,* she thought as she headed   
back to the kitchen, pausing to toss the magazine into the tea room   
first. She figured she could read it after dinner, as she once again   
went to see if her older sister needed her help.  
  
---  
  
Smoke rose like a thick snowy blanket within the heated confines   
of the Tendou bathing area, transforming the transparent windowpane   
into an opaque wall.  
  
"So then, what are we going to do?" a deep baritone voice echoed   
within the smoky expanse of the room.  
  
"I don't know," a second voice answered the first, the tenor   
notes likewise reverberating off the steamy walls.  
  
"Well, we just can't sit here forever."  
  
"I know, I know. But, how are we gonna explain us just suddenly   
showing up?"  
  
"Well, we can always sneak outside and come in through the front.   
That way, it'll be unsuspecting enough not to cause an uproar."  
  
"Hmm... maybe. But then, what about my girl form? They'll still   
be expecting her, too."  
  
"You're right. Well, maybe we can..."  
  
Just then, the screen door to the bathing area suddenly slid open   
along its tracks, causing the voices to suddenly dissipate along with   
the steam, revealing two forms lounging languidly in the furo.  
  
Identical in both face and body, the two looked up in fear and   
trepidation at the third intruding figure.  
  
The intruder stood statuesquely in the open doorway, long dark   
hair falling loosely about a well-toned frame, one hand on its hip   
while the other rested lightly on the metal doorframe. The face was set   
in an unreadable expression; but the eyes! The two figures in the furo   
gulped audibly at the intensity that burned behind those twin   
bottomless pits.  
  
Time seemed to stop as Akane walked slowly towards the furo and   
its two occupants, who merely sat there frozen, like deer caught in an   
oncoming car's headlights. Each step, each heartbeat, seemed to last   
for an eternity, although not more than a second passed with each   
movement.  
  
And then she was there, mercilessly grasping the bare throat of   
the one closest to the door.  
  
"Who are you?" her voice croaked out with carefully controlled   
rage, shattering the very tangible silence around them.  
  
The one whom she was choking reached up instinctively to pry her   
fingers from around the choked windpipe, and was surprised at the steel   
strength that he found there.  
  
"What's it to you?" the deep baritone voice suddenly shot back in   
the resounding silence.  
  
Dark, hate-filled eyes suddenly turned their frightful gaze upon   
the speaker, as if noticing the other figure for the first time. The   
eyes quickly took in the wet auburn hair pulled tightly back into a   
pigtail; the stoic, challenging expression; the bright blue,   
unwavering eyes that matched par for par her own.  
  
"Who are you?" she repeated, this time directing the question to   
the other boy in the tub.  
  
"Well, first, you're gonna hafta let go of my brother there," he   
answered back, his expression unchanging.  
  
Akane merely stared back at the resolute boy before finally   
yielding to his unrelenting gaze. Her hand loosened from its death-like   
grip around the other boy's throat.  
  
The other boy reached wildly up to his throat, his great lungs   
gasping heavily for much needed air. Once his vision cleared of the   
dark haze that had settled over his eyes just a scant few moments ago,   
he took to glaring daggers at his attacker.  
  
*If she wasn't a girl...* The thought repeated continuously in   
his mind as he stared at her.  
  
Akane looked coolly down at her former captive, then blinked. Her   
dark eyes looked swiftly from one form to the other in slight   
puzzlement.  
  
"Who are you?" she repeated once again, albeit this time not   
quite as harsh.  
  
"Kuraima Saotome," the first boy spoke up, politely inclining his   
head with the introduction. "And this is my brother, Ranma."  
  
The other boy merely glared back at the girl, his hand still   
tenderly rubbing his bruised throat.  
  
Akane peered curiously at the boy called Ranma, her anger long   
since forgotten. Except for the differences in hair colour, which was   
jet black on this one, he was an exact mirror image of his brother,   
right down to the bright blue colour of the eyes.  
  
- Saotome... Ranma... -  
  
"Ranma Saotome is a girl," Akane stated, looking back at the one   
called Kuraima.  
  
Kuraima smirked, his blue eyes gleaming with a mischievous light.  
  
"Hey bro, feel like showing her?"  
  
"No," his brother harshly replied.  
  
Kuraima's expression softened a bit.  
  
"Oh, come on. We're gonna have to explain it sooner or later.   
Might as well be now."  
  
A disgusted sound issued from within Ranma's throat, but he knew   
that his brother was right. Without a word, he rose out of the furo and   
walked over to the faucets, steaming water dripping off his glistening   
body. He glanced awkwardly at Akane's silent form, but she gave no hint   
of any embarrassment towards his blatant nudity.  
  
Grabbing an empty bucket, he filled it with water from the cold   
tap, then turned to fully face the girl. Lifting the bucket, he poured   
the icy contents over himself.  
  
Akane watched in utter fascination as the boy's naked form   
suddenly blurred before her eyes, the broad shoulders narrowing while   
the hips noticeably widened. The form dramatically shrunk in height,   
while the black colour of his hair lightened to a bright red hue.  
  
The figure suddenly came back into focus again, and Akane found   
herself staring wide-eyed at the girl she had met and sparred with   
earlier that afternoon. She blinked her eyes several times, but each   
time the figure remained the same.  
  
"What the hell just happened?" she whispered in awe and   
confusion.  
  
Kuraima chuckled heartily, his eyes twinkling with amusement.  
  
"You could say that my little brother here is cursed," he   
explained, for which he received a resentful glare from the other.   
"Everytime he gets hit with cold water, he becomes a girl."  
  
Ranma mumbled something incoherent under her breath as she   
stalked back to the furo.  
  
"What happened to the other Ranma?"  
  
Ranma whirled back around to face the Tendou girl.  
  
"Whad'dya mean, 'other Ranma'? I'm still here!" she said,   
referencing to herself with her thumb.  
  
Akane stared coolly back at her. "Where?"  
  
"Argh!" Ranma screamed out in frustration, then stepped back into   
the furo, purposely splashing her brother in the face with the steaming   
water.  
  
Akane watched as the petite redhead's form once again blurred and   
shifted before her eyes. This time, however, she made sure not to   
blink. Not a second later, the figure refocused, and Akane found   
herself staring back at the black-haired boy of before. One delicate   
eyebrow suddenly arched up in curiosity, her lips forming a slight   
smile.  
  
"Eep!" Ranma shrieked, finally noticing just what she was looking   
at. His hands quickly flew to his front just as he dunked himself neck-  
deep back into the water, his cheeks burning with embarrassment.  
  
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!" Kuraima bellowed aloud at his brother's   
predicament, his deep voice bouncing merrily off the wall of the   
bathing room. His sides shook forcefully as he laughed, clutching at   
his chest. Ranma could only glare at his brother, who didn't even   
notice.  
  
Akane smiled with the other boy, her dark brown eyes glinting   
with a hint of amusement. But just as quickly as it came, her smile   
faded.  
  
"Get out and get dressed," she said, her tone and eyes suddenly   
flat again.  
  
Kuraima's laughter was abruptly cut short, Akane's command   
finally registering in his ears. He looked up at her, slightly   
confused.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Get out and get dressed," she repeated. "Both of you."  
  
The Saotome boys looked at each other in confusion, sheer   
puzzlement written across their faces. When they finally looked back to   
Akane, the girl had already left the bathing area of the bathroom,   
leaving the screen door ajar.  
  
Shrugging their shoulders in unison, they both rose out of the   
furo and walked to the door where their towels lay. Just before they   
reached them, however, Akane suddenly reappeared in the open doorway   
bearing their clothes. Her dark eyes shifted from one boy to the other,   
although this time she didn't say anything, nor even smile as she had   
the last time. The boys merely stood there, dumbstruck and speechless.   
It was then that they realized that Akane had been fully dressed the   
entire time.  
  
She handed the pile of clothes to the nearest boy, who took it in   
stunned silence. "Go to the main room after you're done," she   
instructed, then left the bathroom, the door clicking shut behind her.  
  
The sound of the door shutting startled the boys out of their   
collective trance. They looked at each other, then down at themselves.   
Realization suddenly crashed in on them and they both blushed furiously   
in embarrassment.  
  
"Man, what is with that girl?!" Kuraima muttered, voicing the   
exact same thought that echoed in his brother's head. He grabbed a   
towel and began drying himself off. Ranma did the same, his cheeks an   
even darker shade than his brother's.  
  
"Beats me," Ranma muttered, then spoke in a more thoughtful tone,   
"There's something wrong with her, though."  
  
Kuraima nodded. "I know whatcha mean. I kinda felt it too, but I   
just can't seem to place my finger on it."  
  
The two dressed themselves in silence - Ranma in the familiar red   
and black ensemble of before, while Kuraima dressed in the extra outfit   
Ranma had brought with them, consisting of a dark blue chan saam and   
matching drawstring pants.  
  
The two dumped their towels into the laundry basket as they   
exited the bathroom, closing the door behind them. Ranma paused, then   
turned the sign on the door back around to the "Vacant" side.  
  
Looking to each other one last time, they slowly headed towards   
the main room of the house.  
  
---  
  
"Akane, what is it?" Nabiki asked as she was ushered into the   
room by her younger sister, a slight edge to her voice. It was rare for   
the youngest Tendou to call family meetings - no, make that any family   
meeting. She frowned, slightly worried over what could have happened   
that would alarm her sister so much that she would suddenly call them   
all together like this.  
  
Sitting down at the side of the low table that faced the open   
porch doors, Nabiki noted that her father was already seated at the   
head of the table, next to the large television set. The stranger she   
had seen him with earlier sat across from her, head and eyes downcast.   
She noted with some interest that he now showed no signs of having   
cried earlier, unlike her father, whose eyes were still slightly puffy   
as he glanced nervously about the room.  
  
Kasumi finally entered the room, wiping her hands on a dishtowel,   
and sat down on the matted floor to Nabiki's right. Akane joined the   
rest on the floor, sitting to Nabiki's left.  
  
All eyes focused upon the youngest Tendou when she sat down,   
waiting for her to state the reason for the sudden meeting; all eyes,   
save for the stranger's, who continued to stare at the matted floor in   
front of him.  
  
Akane didn't look at anyone, nor give any indication that she   
would begin speaking. Her dark eyes focused forward towards the open   
porch doors, an expectant look on her face. When everyone realized that   
she wasn't going to say anything, they followed her gaze to the porch,   
searching for some sort of enlightenment on the situation.  
  
Before long, two figures stepped into the overcrowded room from   
the hall that led to the bathroom.  
  
Nabiki's brow wrinkled slightly as she studied the two newcomers.   
Of equal stance and height, the two boys stood side by side behind the   
other stranger in the room, one with his hands stuffed in his pants   
pockets, the other with his arms hanging loosely at his sides. One look   
at their faces verified that the two were identical twins, minus the   
different hair colours, of course.  
  
*Could that be them?* she wondered, glancing over at her father   
for confirmation. The eldest Tendou didn't appear to be very surprised   
at their entrance.  
  
"Please, have a seat," Soun finally spoke, breaking the awkward   
silence. He nodded towards the vacant spaces next to the stranger.  
  
The boy in the red shirt smiled gratefully at the older man, then   
promptly sat down next to the stranger, his legs tucked beneath him.   
The other boy sat down next to him in the same manner. Both glanced   
nervously around at their hosts.  
  
When the red-shirted boy locked gazes with Nabiki, his face   
suddenly set into a scowl and he looked away.  
  
*What the...?* Nabiki thought, but was interrupted by her father.  
  
Soun cleared his throat. "Ahem! Yes... Well then... I believe I   
have some explaining to do," he said to his daughters.  
  
He glanced over at Akane, who merely continued to stare blankly   
at the newcomers. *No doubt, this is the reason why she called the   
meeting. And to think that I was going to wait until after dinner to   
tell them,* he added a bit regretfully.  
  
"Girls, this is my dear old friend," he explained, gesturing to   
the stranger with his hand.  
  
The stranger bowed slightly from his kneeling position. "Genma   
Saotome," he introduced himself, then gestured to the two boys sitting   
to his right.  
  
"And these are my sons..."  
  
"Kuraima Saotome." The boy in the dark blue shirt bowed where he   
sat.  
  
"And Ranma Saotome." The boy in the red shirt repeated the   
gesture.  
  
Nabiki's eyes bulged. *'Ranma Saotome'?!*  
  
"Waitaminute, Ranma Saotome's supposed to be a girl. "That," she   
said, pointing to the boy in question, "...is a guy."  
  
To her surprise, the boy glared hatefully at her when she said   
that. *Geez, what's eating this guy's shorts?*  
  
"That is Ranma," Akane suddenly spoke up, though still not   
looking away from the guests.  
  
"Huh?" Nabiki asked intelligently. She, of all people in that   
room outside of the Saotome family, knew that the person known as   
'Ranma' was, without a doubt, a girl.  
  
"But we all saw that Ranma was a girl, not a boy."  
  
The stranger that had introduced himself as Genma bowed his   
bandana-clad head in shame. "I am so ashamed," he whispered quietly to   
himself. The two boys glared daggers at their father.  
  
"There is a misunderstanding," Genma spoke up, finally raising   
his head to meet the gazes of his hosts. His features were harsh and   
rugged, with the beginning traces of wrinkles peeking out from behind   
his wire-framed glasses. His was the face of a man who had seen and   
experienced much throughout his forty-something odd years.  
  
"Ya got that right, old man," the boy calling himself 'Ranma'   
said, but was quickly shushed by his brother, who put a hand on his   
shoulder. To Nabiki's amazement, the black-haired boy immediately   
calmed down.  
  
*Whoa...*  
  
"That's right," Soun interjected before any of the others could   
speak. "Saotome, would you care to explain this to my daughters?"  
  
Genma looked over at his childhood friend, then nodded. With a   
determined look in his eyes, he stood up and grabbed the shirt of the   
boy nearest to him, which happened to be Ranma. With a twist of his   
hips, Ranma was suddenly sent airborne, flying out through the open   
porch doors and into the waiting koi pond beyond.  
  
Ranma, not expecting to be suddenly thrown outside during the   
middle of a family introduction, could do nothing more than cry out in   
surprise before he hit the icy waters of the pond with a huge splash.  
  
Several seconds went by in which no sound or movement emitted   
from the rippling depths of the darkened pond, thereby causing the   
Tendou family, save Akane who remained sitting at the low table, to   
gather behind Genma as they stared out into the side yard of the Tendou   
Dojo.  
  
Before long, a muffled gurgling sound was heard from the vicinity   
of the pond, and a figure suddenly burst forth from the glassy depths   
of the pond.  
  
"Whadja do that for?!" a high soprano voice suddenly shrieked   
from the figure's throat.  
  
Nabiki blinked, as well did the rest of the family members beside   
her. Was she seeing things right? She had to be hallucinating, but she   
had distinctly followed the boy's entire trajectory into the pond.   
Maybe this was the gods' way of telling her that it was finally time to   
see the optometrist.  
  
"Oh my!" Kasumi said beside her, one hand to her mouth. "Ranma's   
a girl now."  
  
To put it bluntly. But how could such a thing like this be   
possible? The laws of Nature simply did not permit for this type of   
mutation to occur, and in such a rapid passage of time to boot!  
  
*There's no way!*  
  
"He's right, old man. Ya could've found a better way to break it   
to 'em, y'know."  
  
Nabiki looked around for the owner of the voice.  
  
During the little demonstration, the boy named Kuraima had gotten   
up and was now leaning against the doorframe, arms folded across his   
broad chest. He stared rather bluntly at his father, not a trace of   
humour in his expression.  
  
Genma sighed heavily, his large shoulders drooping slightly. "But   
it was the easiest way."  
  
Kuraima snorted. "That's right, ya always gotta do it the easy   
way, don'tcha Pop?!"  
  
"Stupid old man!" the figure outside shot out as she struggled to   
get out of the pond.  
  
"Kasumi dear?" Soun suddenly spoke up, startling the eldest   
daughter. "Sorry, dear. Would you please go and heat a kettle up for   
me, Kasumi?"  
  
"Sure, Father," Kasumi replied, a rather confused look on her   
face. She promptly left the room, heading for the kitchen.  
  
Nabiki squinted hard at the person outside, trying to make out   
the details in the dim light of the gathering dusk. The voice sounded   
entirely too familiar to her, but she had to know for sure if she was   
just imagining things.  
  
The figure finally stepped into the small pool of light cast by   
the room's overhead lights, dripping water from head to toe, and socked   
Genma in the stomach, who retaliated by hitting the girl over the head.   
Kuraima grunted with the impact.  
  
Nabiki gasped when she finally got a clear look of the girl. It   
was the same girl that had come to their house with those two very out-  
of-place animals as her pets. Her bright scarlet locks flashed in the   
fluorescent light, as she brought her foot up to kick the older man in   
the shin.  
  
"Stupid old man!" Kuraima cried out, stalking over to his father   
and punching him on the back of his head. The old man went down from   
the twin blows.  
  
"How many times do we gotta tell ya not to hit us on the head?!"  
  
"You two should get used to it by now," Genma grumbled as he   
raised himself off the floor. "It's part of your training, or would you   
rather fight amongst yourselves?" he added in a challenging tone.  
  
Both boy and girl glared resentfully at the old man, but said   
nothing.  
  
"Here you are, Father."  
  
Soun turned around to find his eldest daughter standing next to   
him, a steaming kettle in her hands. He smiled somewhat uneasily; he   
hadn't even heard her approaching in all the commotion.  
  
"Thank you, Kasumi," he said, taking the kettle from her. "Girls,   
please sit down for a moment."  
  
Nabiki, still contemplating the numerous possible explanations   
for the sudden appearances/disappearances of the two Ranmas, obligingly   
went back to her spot at the table. She'd hardly taken a step when she   
realized that Akane was no longer there.  
  
A quick scan around the crowded room revealed Akane standing next   
to their father, a small pitcher in her hands.  
  
"I'll take that," she told her father, removing the kettle from   
his hands.  
  
Soun blinked. He hadn't noticed her presence either. Were his   
skills finally getting rusty? Or had Akane improved in the ninja arts   
since he last checked?  
  
"Uh... sure thing, dear," he said, sitting back down at the head   
of the table. Kasumi joined the other two on the floor, meticulously   
smoothing out her skirt from underneath her.  
  
All eyes were on Akane as she slowly approached the still   
bickering Saotomes. Placing the kettle onto the low table, Akane held   
the pitcher out in front of her. Without a word, she splashed both   
Genma and Kuraima with the water that had been in the container.  
  
The Tendous watched in shock and amazement as the two males   
blurred before their eyes; Soun watched with a thoughtful expression on   
his face.  
  
Genma's form seemed to grow and expand in front of them, his skin   
suddenly becoming impossibly too hairy for a normal human being. His   
fingers retracted somewhat, the nails growing larger and more solid,   
while black ears suddenly popped up from either side of his head. They   
watched in complete fascination as he developed a sort of black and   
white pattern to the amassing hairs on his skin.  
  
Unlike Genma, Kuraima's form shrunk in size, while the front of   
his face suddenly elongated. Both his hands and feet retracted in   
length, and the tips were replaced with thick, solid claws. From his   
rear emerged an extremely long feathered tail, while dark red and white   
hairs grew from the rest of his body, covering him completely.  
  
When the two figures finally refocused, the Tendous found   
themselves staring at the trio that had walked in through their front   
door that very afternoon.  
  
"Oh my!" Kasumi exclaimed, cupping one hand over her mouth.  
  
"I thought so," Akane said to no one in particular, one corner of   
her mouth twisting up into a ghostly mockery of a smile. She went to   
sit back down next to Nabiki, placing the pitcher onto the table.  
  
"Wh- What the...?!" Nabiki stammered, her mind chaotically   
swirling from what she just saw. It was a good thing she was sitting   
down.  
  
Soun sat spellbound by the events of the transformations. When   
his childhood friend had told him briefly of his and his sons' ordeal,   
he had simply accepted the explanation on good faith. After all, he was   
a teacher and student of the art of Anything-Goes Martial Arts, a   
vastly unique style of highly adaptive fighting techniques, founded by   
an even more unique, if not disturbingly eccentric, master.  
  
His brow wrinkled slightly at the sudden thought of his master,   
then quickly pushed the memories to the back of his mind, praying that   
they would remain buried as they had been all these years past.  
  
As a practitioner of the Anything-Goes style, he had seen and   
experienced much over his twenty-odd years of training, much of which   
went beyond the scope of average human comprehension. To him, nothing   
was impossible, no matter how incredulous sounding it seemed; it had   
always been his experience as such.  
  
But then, to actually witness the transformations his friend had   
described was a moment of profound enlightenment to the eldest Tendou.  
  
While Soun sat there, elated at having finally witnessed another   
miracle of the impossible, the three under scrutiny began to get   
extremely uncomfortable and self-conscious. With an unhappy sound, the   
panda reached for the steaming kettle on the table. Picking it up, he   
poured the hot contents over his two former sons, then over himself.  
  
Everyone watched again, although this time in curiosity and   
amusement, as the three figures underwent transformation once more.   
When the forms refocused again, they found themselves staring back at   
the three human, and male, figures of the Saotome family. Two of them   
quickly put their scattered clothes back on.  
  
"I can explain this," Genma spoke up, readjusting his glasses   
back over his eyes.  
  
"What in the world was that?" Nabiki inquired, having regained   
her cool composure. She crossed her arms in front of her and gave the   
eldest Saotome a very skeptical look; a look quite the contrary to what   
she was feeling.  
  
"It is a long story," Genma began, sitting down once again, his   
sons following suit. They all adopted a cross-legged position on the   
floor, sitting side by side in the same order as before.  
  
"It all began two fateful months ago, when my sons and I were   
traversing the mountains of China, in search of some legendary training   
grounds. It was there, in the Mount Quanjing Region of the Bayankala   
Range, Qinghai Province that we finally found what we were looking   
for... Jusenkyou."  
  
(End of Part 02)  
---  
1. chan saam - Cantonese word for shirt; used to describe the Chinese-  
styled shirts that the Saotomes seem to prefer to wear.  
  
2. furo - a Japanese bath.  
  
3. shougi - a wood and rice paper door, typical of a traditional   
Japanese household. 


	4. Memoirs of a Panda

Sons of the Apocalypse  
  
A Ranma 1/2 alternate fanwork by Wolfye Productions, Inc.  
- http://fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=276284  
  
All Ranma 1/2 characters are (c) Rumiko Takahashi, Viz Communications,   
Inc., Shogakukan, Inc., Kitty Films and Fuji TV. Characters are used   
without the express prior permission of the aforementioned. Story   
concept, other characters and original situations are (c) Wolfye   
Productions, Inc.; this fanfic is written for entertainment purposes   
only.  
=-=-=-=-=  
  
Part 03: Memoirs of a Panda  
  
  
[Two months prior]  
  
A heavy mist clung to the dampened earth of western rugged China,   
shrouding the jagged peaks of the Bayankala Range in an air of mystery   
and suspense. Along a narrow mountain path that carved and twisted its   
way through the asymmetrical mountaintops of the Mount Quanjing region,   
four figures traversed on foot; three with enormously huge packs slung   
across their back, the other with nothing more than a pipe that he   
leisurely puffed at as he walked.  
  
The figures walked in linear file, first the one with the pipe,   
then the largest with a pack. These two were followed by two smaller,   
similar-looking figures. They trudged along in companionable silence as   
they laboured up yet another one of the many inclines that littered the   
long and narrow trail.  
  
When the four nearly reached the hill's crest, Genma spoke up,   
his deep baritone voice echoing mightily across the deep ravine.  
  
"We're almost there!" he shouted. "I can feel it!"  
  
"Yes, Sirs," the guide acknowledged, taking his pipe out of his   
mouth in order to speak more clearly, his rough Japanese thick with a   
Chinese accent.  
  
"Very soon, we reach most cursed spring in China."  
  
"I knew it!" Genma cried out in exultation, then began quickening   
his pace towards the elusive goal that lay nestled amongst the   
secretive paths of remotest China.  
  
"Aw, c'mon Pop! Can't you slow down?" Ranma groaned tiredly from   
behind his older brother, who looked to be in much the same condition   
as he was. "It ain't like Jusenkyou's gonna go anywhere."  
  
"Yeah Pop, slow down!" Kuraima chimed in.  
  
"Foolish boys! How can you be like this when it's so close?!"   
Genma retorted back as he attempted to bypass the guide along the   
narrow path.  
  
Both boys merely groaned in return, then tried to pick up their   
paces a little more to catch up with their over-enthusiastic father.  
  
The guide seemed unrelenting of the trail, and Genma had to pull   
up sharply to keep from bumping into him when the guide suddenly   
stopped at the top of the incline. The two boys gratefully pulled to a   
stop behind their father and took a rare breather.  
  
"Why'd you stop?" Genma questioned the guide, but stopped when   
the man raised a stubby finger and pointed out in front of him.   
Following with aging eyes behind thick glasses, Genma's heart skipped a   
beat and his jaw dropped open.  
  
"What's wrong, Pop?" Ranma finally asked when he noticed that his   
father wasn't saying anything for once.  
  
"Boys! Take a look at that!" Genma cried out, his voice tremulous   
with excitement.  
  
Ranma glanced over at his brother, who merely shrugged in return,   
and they both moved to either side of their father to peer around his   
bulky form, Kuraima taking care not to fall off the side of the cliff   
and into the deep gorge below.  
  
What lay ahead astounded them, leaving them spellbound with its   
mysterious beauty. Nestled amongst the whispering peaks of Mount   
Quanjing, nearly enshrouded in the mountains' early afternoon mist, lay   
an open valley in which were scattered a good hundred or so pools of   
the clearest water. From the untouched surface of each pool rose long   
sticks of bamboo, sometimes in singular company, other times in groups   
of two or three. The area looked completely deserted.  
  
"Whoa... Is that Jusenkyou?" Ranma asked aloud, not really   
knowing why, but feeling he already knew the answer. His brother   
whistled his appreciation alongside him.  
  
The guide nodded his cap-covered head, pulling the pipe out of   
his mouth again.  
  
"Yes, young Sirs, that is legendary training ground," he replied,   
his accented voice thick with awe and respect.  
  
"Well my sons," Genma grunted, "After all this time of travelling   
all over China, we finally found it!"  
  
"Hmph!" Kuraima snorted. "We'd've probably found it sooner if you   
hadn't gone off on all your wild goose chases for the past month!"  
  
"Insolent boy!" Genma snarled back. "Show your father some   
respect!"  
  
"Ya gotta earn it first, old man!" Kuraima retorted, then looked   
back at the legendary training grounds when he was certain his father   
wasn't going to attempt a cheap swing at him. "So, we gonna go there,   
or just keep starin' at it?"  
  
The guide nodded once more. "Yes, Sirs, we go there now. Just   
follow me."  
  
Popping his pipe back into his mouth, he started descending the   
huge mountain pass as it wove further down into the mountains and in   
the general direction of the open valley before them. The other three   
followed suit, adjusting their packs more comfortably as they gingerly   
made their way down.  
  
From high above the four travellers circled a creature that was   
neither bird nor any other creature known to mankind. This creature   
bore great feathered wings that were brightly splashed with various   
colours of the rainbow. However, this thing of unclassifiable origins   
possessed one too many appendages to be considered a bird, in addition   
of its great size, being nearly ten times as large as the largest bird   
known in the world.  
  
This creature circled widely above the four figures below, taking   
great care not to reveal its identity as it watched them through   
piercing blue eyes, another feature most uncharacteristic of even the   
most exotic bird. It flapped its great wings, sending it even higher up   
into the sun-drenched sky.  
  
"Could these be the two that the Prophecy spoke of?" it thought   
to itself in a language no human ear had ever heard.  
  
It flapped its wings once more, catching the winds that blew   
towards a single high peak whose very top was lost in the clouds, its   
lone question lost to the winds.  
  
---  
  
Near the bottom of the valley floor, the mists parted beneath the   
onslaught of the afternoon sun, revealing its hidden secrets below.   
Four figures emerged onto a lower ledge that projected over the   
southeastern edge of the valley floor - two in obvious tire, one with   
an awed expression on his face, and the last with a bored expression as   
he took a last drag on his pipe before speaking.  
  
"Here Sirs," he announced, extending his hand out to the valley   
floor before them. "We come to famous training ground - Jusenkyou!"  
  
Genma nodded solemnly with the introduction, pushing his glasses   
back up his nose. "At last... Jusenkyou."  
  
He set down his pack and walked over to the cliff's edge.  
  
"Hmph. Don't look too impressive to me," Ranma commented,   
unshouldering his pack and dumping it next to his father's.  
  
"Ah, y'know how Pops is about stuff like this," Kuraima retorted,   
walking up next to Genma.  
  
"Yeah," Ranma replied, joining the two.  
  
Genma snorted while Kuraima also dropped his pack. The guide   
stayed further back on the ledge, his brows coming together in a frown.  
  
"Ah, Sirs, this is most terrible cursed training ground in   
China," he spoke up. "No one use it now 'cause each spring have own   
tragedy happen there."  
  
"Alright boys," Genma piped up, his eyes alight with   
anticipation. "You two ready?"  
  
"Huh," Ranma grunted, looking out over the valley floor below   
them. "This'll be easy. Ready bro?"  
  
"Yup!"  
  
"Then let's get going!" Genma roared as he leapt from the cliff's   
edge and landed on a nearby pole. Because the pole's top was so small,   
he had to adopt a crane stance, arms set in a simple karate pattern.   
Below him, the clear waters of the spring rippled around the vibrating   
bamboo.  
  
The two boys likewise jumped from the cliff, each landing on   
poles on either side of their father. They, too, adopted similar   
stances.  
  
"Hey Sirs!" the guide cried out as he ran to the cliff's edge,   
his voice filled with panic. "What are you doing?! I not finish my   
tragic story! You can't go there!"  
  
His words fell on deaf ears as the attacks began.  
  
With a slight nod from his older brother, Ranma began the first   
attack on Genma. He jumped straight up into the air with a mighty cry,   
Genma following suit. The two clashed in midair, Ranma attempting a   
roundhouse, which his father blocked with his arm, the same time Ranma   
blocked a full front punch from Genma. Using the momentum of each hit,   
the two parted and landed on different poles.  
  
Genma had just one second to spare when he suddenly had to dodge   
another aerial attack launched by Kuraima. Kuraima, using a direct   
aerial leg kick, was forced to reconsider his flight path when his   
father jumped out of the way. Reaching out, he grasped the bamboo pole   
his father had recently vacated, and attempted to use it to swing   
himself back upright onto the pole. However, the gods' decreed that   
such a maneuver was not possible with the aging wood. With a loud gut-  
wrenching snap, the old pole broke in two, and poor Kuraima was sent to   
the waiting pool below with a startled cry.  
  
"See boy!" Genma cried out from his new perch, "You should be   
more careful when attempting to catch others by surprise!"  
  
"Shut up, old man!" Ranma yelled from another perch.  
  
"Watch your mouth, Ranma," Genma threatened back. "You two are   
still under training."  
  
"Ha! We kicked your ass years ago!" Ranma retorted, then launched   
a similar attack on Genma as his brother had done. Only this time, he   
twisted in midair at the last minute, catching the leaping Genma full   
in the side with a perfect roundhouse, and sent his father flying back   
into another pool.  
  
"Heh. Now who's training who here? That's what I'd like to know."  
  
Turning around, he scanned the area for where his brother had   
fallen just a minute ago. The pristine waters of the hundreds of pools   
surrounding him winked back at him beneath the afternoon sun. Then he   
spotted the frightened guide stooping over a particular pool, as if   
waiting for something to come out of it.  
  
"Hey guide!" Ranma shouted from atop the pole he was on. "You   
seen my brother?"  
  
The guide pointed to the still waters below him and mumbled   
something, a puzzled look on his face.  
  
"Hey!" Ranma cried out, but was stopped when the hairs on the   
back of his neck suddenly stood straight up. Gulping, he slowly turned   
his head and looked behind him.  
  
From the pool that Genma had fallen in, the water's surface began   
to churn, as a large shadow began to ascend from below. The surface of   
the pool suddenly broke with a loud splash and out jumped a large,   
bulky form, which launched itself into the air and landed on one of the   
bamboo poles.  
  
Ranma stared at the creature with wide, unbelieving eyes. "What   
the heck is that?!" he cried, pointing a shaking finger towards the   
monster.  
  
The guide, now distracted from his previous observations, looked   
up to find a large panda poised on the bamboo pole in a karate stance.   
Blinking, he pulled out a sign from behind his back with Chinese   
characters written across the white surface.  
  
"Oh, he fall in Shonmaoniichuan. Very tragic story of panda who   
drown in spring two-thousand year ago! Now, legend say whoever fall in   
spring take body of panda!"  
  
"What?!" Ranma cried out in disbelief. "Hey buddy! You never said   
anything about that to us!"  
  
But before he could continue berating their guide, the panda   
launched an aerial attack, and Ranma was forced to jump out of the way.   
However, he was too slow, and he ended up getting backhanded into   
another pond a few feet away from where his brother had disappeared.  
  
The guide ran over to where Ranma had fallen, then looked over to   
the pool where Kuraima had fallen in, a worried look on his face. *Why   
he no come up? Change not take that long.*  
  
The surface of the pool where Ranma had fallen in suddenly broke,   
revealing a bright scarlett-haired girl in Ranma's battered gi. The   
guide pulled out another sign from behind his back and showed it to the   
girl.  
  
"Oh, too bad. You fall in Nyannichuan, spring of drown girl. Very   
tragic story of young girl who drown in spring one-thousand five-  
hundred year ago. Now, whoever fall in spring take body of a young   
girl."  
  
*No... this can't be...* Reaching up, Ranma slowly felt along her   
chest to find two previously-absent lumps there. Shaking in fear and   
disbelief, she undid her gi top and looked down, only to find her   
suspicions correct. She screamed in absolute horror.  
  
That was when her attention was diverted to the pool her brother   
had fallen into. A dark shadow appeared to be rising from below, the   
clear water above churning. The guide rushed over to the pool's edge   
and waited silently, the worried frown once again adorning his face.  
  
The waters broke, revealing the soggy form of a red and white-  
coloured dog. After helping the dog to the edge of the pool, the guide   
nodded solemnly and pulled out his signs once more.  
  
"Oh, this very tragic. He fall in Lanshuliaoniichuan, spring of   
drown wolf and snowbird. Too too tragic story of wolf what fought and   
kill China legendary snowbird, then drown in spring three-thousand   
eight-hundred year ago."  
  
The guide blinked at the heaving form in front of him. "Ah, Sirs,   
is strange, no?" he asked, pointing to the creature.  
  
Ranma, now over her shock and more concerned for her brother,   
approached the two and looked down.  
  
"What the..."  
  
Lying short of breath still halfway in the water was what   
certainly looked like a wolf, but with a long feathered tail instead of   
a short furry one. Ranma immediately started pulling her brother   
completely out of the pool for a better look, Genma joining them   
finally from the other side of the spring.  
  
"Mawr?"  
  
"What spring is this?" Ranma asked the guide.  
  
"Is cursed spring of wolf what kill legendary snowbird..." the   
guide repeated.  
  
"Weird... So, uh, why's he unconscious and we're not?"  
  
The guide shrugged. "Must be shock in changing. He under for very   
long time."  
  
Ranma lifted her brother and threw him across her shoulders.   
"Okay buddy. We'd better get him somewhere warm so he doesn't freeze to   
death. And you've got some explaining to do, too."  
  
"Yes, yes," the guide nodded, then pointed to the other side of   
the valley.  
  
"I have hut over there. We take him there for now."  
  
Ranma nodded, then looked over at the panda. "Pop, I sure hope   
you can understand me even though you're a panda now. Pick up the packs   
and follow us."  
  
The panda grunted a response and did so. The three then headed   
towards the other end of the valley floor.  
  
---  
  
[Present day]  
  
"So, you mean to tell me that you guys are cursed? And you expect   
me to believe that?"  
  
All eyes turned to look at Nabiki, who was staring straight at   
Genma, her arms crossed indignantly over her chest. The elder Saotome   
merely stared back at her, his eyes unrelenting.  
  
"It's all true," he replied.  
  
"Well, we did just see them change right in front of us," Kasumi   
said, stating the obvious.  
  
Nabiki looked back and forth between the two brothers, then at   
her own father, who merely nodded at her in return. She sighed and   
waved her hand dismissively.  
  
"So, that's it, then? Whatever. I'm hungry. Kasumi..."  
  
Her sentence was cut off by a loud grumbling sound coming from   
the Saotomes. All three clutched the offensive noisemakers, embarrassed   
looks on their faces. Kasumi smiled in sheer delight at the unexpected   
request.  
  
"I'll be right back," she said softly, getting up. "Nabiki, would   
you be so kind as to..."  
  
"Right behind ya, Sis!" Nabiki cut her off, jumping to her feet,   
glad for the chance to get away from the odd threesome. She and Kasumi   
quickly disappeared into the kitchen.  
  
Ranma and Kuraima looked at each other and shrugged; Genma looked   
at Soun, who was busy staring off into space, a thoughtful look on his   
face.  
  
Akane sat there silently, her gaze slowly passing over the three   
people in front of her. Ranma fidgeted uncomfortably beneath her gaze,   
but couldn't bring himself to meet it. Kuraima merely sat there,   
completely oblivious to the stare, his own eyes studying the room. The   
silence was palpable, interrupted only by the sounds of Kasumi and   
Nabiki as they brought in bowls and plates of food and set them down   
onto the low table.  
  
Delectable odors wafted up from the different plates, filling the   
room with a mixture of wonderful smells that started up raging rivers   
in the mouths of the guests. Again their stomachs growled loudly in   
anticipation of the rare feast before them.  
  
At last, when they thought that they would faint from sheer   
hunger and deprivation, the two girls brought out the remaining rice   
bowls and rice cooker and sat down in their previous spots. Nabiki   
handed Kasumi the bowls, which she filled with steaming white kernels   
of long-grained rice, while Soun helped her pass the bowls out.   
Finally, when everyone had gotten their allotted share, the eating   
commenced, much to the palatable delight of the Saotomes.  
  
---  
  
The next morning found Akane Tendou jogging casually down the   
street on her way back to the dojo, a contemplative look on her   
normally stoic face. When she finally reached the outer gate, she   
continued on in, then stopped just inside the yard entrance, eyes wide.  
  
High-pitched screams emanated from the side yard of the Tendou   
residence, accompanied by the sights of three air-borne figures dressed   
in white gi's. Akane watched as the three martial artists bounced back   
and forth through the air as though they each bore a pair of wings.   
This was something she had never seen before and the concept intrigued   
her, to be able to defy the laws of physics such as the Saotomes were   
so obviously doing.  
  
Turning her attention away from the battling men, she continued   
on into the house and up to her room, where she quickly gathered up her   
school uniform and went down to the bathroom to bathe and dress.  
  
---  
  
Genma Saotome walked with his two sons down the hallway that led   
away from the bathroom. It seemed that during their highly erratic   
sparring session, all three of them had managed to get themselves wet.  
  
"Well, we are going to be staying awhile," he began, pushing his   
glasses back up his nose.  
  
Both sons immediately stopped in front of the open porch doors   
and glared at their father's back.  
  
"Say what?!" Ranma shouted.  
  
"And just who decided this, old man?" Kuraima growled, an   
unpleasant look on his face.  
  
"Now boys," Genma started, waving his hands in front of him in a   
mild gesture of defense, "This is only a temporary stay while we   
readjust ourselves to Japan!"  
  
"Like hell it is!" Ranma retorted. "You're just too chicken to   
face Mom about my curse!"  
  
Kuraima agreed with his brother by kicking his father back into   
the koi pond. "So there."  
  
"Akane! Hurry up or we'll be late!"  
  
Nabiki ran out of the main room with a school bookbag in hand,   
almost colliding with Kuraima's back in her rush. Ranma glanced at the   
Tendou sister, then turned his head away in contempt.  
  
*Sheesh, what a hot head,* Nabiki thought, then turned her   
attention onto the other brother.  
  
"Hey there. Look, I've got something to do before school today,   
so you two can walk to school with Akane. She'll show you around. Too-  
de-loo!" she waved as she ran out the door.  
  
"Hey, waitaminute! What if we're not ready to go to school yet?"   
Kuraima shouted, unnerved about coming into contact with so many people   
much too soon.  
  
Genma took that opportunity to pop up from nowhere with two   
packed bookbags in his paws and handed them to his sons, who grabbed   
the bags with annoyed looks on their faces.  
  
Walking up to the front entrance found Akane standing there,   
shoes on and bookbag in hand, patiently waiting for the two boys.   
Realizing that they were probably already late for their first day back   
to school after almost two years, the boys quickly slipped into their   
shoes and followed Akane out of the compound.  
  
The brisk walk to school proved to be much like the night before   
during dinner, with the Saotome boys looking a bit awkward while Akane   
remained unspeaking. The two boys glanced nervously back and forth at   
each other behind the Tendou girl's back, both frankly wondering if all   
of their walks to school in the future would be similar to this one.   
Tired of the all-encompassing silence, Kuraima cleared his throat and   
picked up his pace to catch up with Akane, Ranma following alongside.  
  
"Say, Akane?" he asked, glancing over at her as they walked   
quickly down the street. "What's the school like?"  
  
Akane's expression didn't change when she answered, "Like a high   
school."  
  
Kuraima quickly suppressed his sense of growing irritation for   
the Tendou girl. "Well, yeah, but what's it like?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"He means," Ranma joined in, "is what kind of a school is it? Is   
it big? Are there a lot of people going there?"  
  
"Yeah," Kuraima nodded in agreement, "We've already figured out   
that it's a coed school."  
  
The three rounded a corner and hurried quietly alongside the city   
canal system, Kuraima and Ranma patiently waiting for Akane's answer.   
The trickling sound of the rushing water added to the quaint   
atmosphere.  
  
"Furinkan is a large school, a population of, I think, about two-  
thousand. It's the only public high school in Nerima. The only other   
high school is Saint Hebereke's, an all-girl school, but that lies on   
the edge of town in the wealthier district."  
  
The boys nodded their understanding, but remained quiet. The trio   
turned the last corner en route to Furinkan High, a large and stately   
looking building located at the end of the street. In the middle rose   
one of those ever-present clock towers that adorned every Japanese   
school, a foreboding presence in the schoolyard, dooming all those   
would-be scholars whenever they arrived late.  
  
When the gates of the schoolyard came into view, Akane slowed   
down, Ranma and Kuraima both following suit.  
  
"Be careful when you enter," Akane said in a low tone, her voice   
once again completely devoid of emotion. "Take shelter." With that, she   
began to run at full speed into the looming gates ahead.  
  
"What the-," Ranma started, glancing over at his brother, who had   
a similar look of puzzlement on his face. The two shrugged at each   
other and headed at a trot for the school.  
  
High-pitched screams and battle cries coming from inside the yard   
made the two brothers come to a screeching halt just inches from the   
school gates, their eyes bugging at the strange spectacle taking place   
just inside.  
  
Akane drifted from one side of the schoolyard to the next as   
though she were dancing, while multitudes of teenage boys attacked her   
from all sides, many adorned with just as many weapons, and others   
without. They seemed to come from everywhere, amassing in numbers of   
around fifty or more, and all were targeting the nimble young blue-  
haired girl in the midst of all the fighting.  
  
"What the hell is going on?" Ranma asked nobody in particular,   
his eyes following each move Akane made in the strange battle before   
him.  
  
Kuraima merely shrugged back, his eyes also watching Akane. Both   
stood there for a couple minutes watching the battle, mesmerized. The   
scene before them was unlike anything they had ever seen before, with   
so many boys ganging up on a single girl with such passion in their   
hits. And yet, it wasn't hate that was pushing them onward into battle.  
  
"Akane, say you'll go out with me!"  
  
"Akane, I love you! This is for you!"  
  
"Say you'll be mine, Akane!"  
  
"Okay, this is weird," Kuraima mumbled. "Why are they all yelling   
that they love her?"  
  
This time, it was Ranma's turn to shrug. "Beats me. Aren't you   
supposed to NOT hit the girl you like?"  
  
"Heh, that's what I thought."  
  
"What are you two doing?! If you don't hurry, you'll both be late   
to class!"  
  
Ranma and Kuraima looked up above the shuffle, eyes searching out   
the source of the voice. They finally spotted Nabiki half-leaning out   
of a window on the third floor of the building.  
  
"But what about her?" Ranma asked, forgetting his grudge with the   
Tendou girl. He waved his hand toward Akane's general direction.  
  
"Oh, don't worry about Akane," Nabiki answered back, her hand   
gesturing dismissively. "She goes through this every day." She made   
sure to overemphasize the word 'every'. To her satisfaction, the boys'   
eyes bugged out even further as the meaning behind her words sunk into   
their thick heads.  
  
In the schoolyard below, Akane finished with a final punch to a   
random boy's gut, and he fell forward in a highly ungraceful manner to   
the pavement beneath.  
  
"Whoa," Ranma whistled in admiration, "She's got some serious   
strength."  
  
"No kidding," Kuraima agreed. "She almost kicked your ass back in   
the dojo yesterday."  
  
"She did not!"  
  
"I said 'almost', stupid."  
  
"Huh, whatever."  
  
Kuraima shrugged back and walked towards Akane, who stood in the   
middle of the yard, surrounded by unworthy and unconscious opponents.   
Taking a good look at her, he saw that she was barely winded from the   
onslaught of duels. She stood with her profile to him, eyes cautiously   
scanning the shadows of the school's entryway. Her expression shifted   
slightly when she noticed his presence.  
  
"Stay back. I'm not finished."  
  
Kuraima stopped where he was and looked around the yard. The   
place was littered with injured bodies and broken objects, ranging from   
a portable stereo system to a few bokken. To his practiced eye, none of   
the scattered boys posed any potential threats for the moment.  
  
"They're all knocked out, Akane," he said, then noticed the   
sudden eerie change in weather. Above, dark blueish storm clouds   
started to gather, promising a possible future drenching.  
  
Akane didn't respond. Then, from the corner of his eye, Kuraima   
noticed something gleam in the distance, and the hairs on the back of   
his neck stood straight on end. He braced himself in a ready stance,   
checking to see if Ranma was doing the same.  
  
Akane reached out with one hand and skillfully caught the flying   
missile. Kuraima and Ranma's eyes bugged out again; the missile was a   
single red rose.  
  
"What the-" both said at the same time. This was, as of yet, the   
weirdest day in school they had ever experienced, let alone   
anticipated. Somehow, they knew already that Furinkan High was not   
going to be like any ordinary high school. Thunder crashed in the   
distance, leaving the two boys feeling a bit uneasy about their current   
situation.  
  
"Pain lest not escapes that of the thorned rose. It pleases me   
greatly when such a beauteous creature of the night chooses to display   
her unworldliness in mock battles amongst savages."  
  
From the darkness of the school entrance strode a tall robed   
figure, hair and eyes dark and fairly disturbed. His words drifted over   
the distant howling winds as he made his way to the area where Akane   
stood, a crooked smile adorning his handsome face.  
  
"Ah, my dear Akane, wouldst thou spar with me a trifle?"  
  
The sounds of the school bell rung out clear in the gathering   
skies above, marking the start of another school day, and the tardiness   
of those still gathered outside. But all ears proved deaf to the   
melodious chimes, as everyone strained instead to hear the words coming   
from those standing in the yard.  
  
Ranma walked cautiously over to where his brother and Akane stood   
facing the newcomer.  
  
"Whoa, who is this guy?"  
  
"Stay back, both of you," Akane restated, her voice now lower   
than before.  
  
The new boy looked curiously from Akane to the two boys standing   
near her, his dark eyes narrowing at the sight. His right arm raised, a   
long heavy bokken grasped tightly in his hand.  
  
"You two there," his voice thundered. "What business do you have   
with Akane Tendou?" His tone commanded immediate compliance.  
  
"What do you care, buddy?" Kuraima threw back, his own tone that   
of insolence.  
  
"Nevermind," the boy said, as much to himself as to the others.   
"It is by rights that I should go first.  
  
"It is I that holds the title of undefeated captain of this   
school's prestigious Kendou club, the magnificent shining star in the   
world of fencing. My name is Tatewaki Kunou, age seventeen."  
  
A loud clap of thunder, closer than those of before, rang   
overhead with his last words, followed by an amazing flash of   
lightning. The Saotomes cringed with fear of an evident downpour.  
  
"Well, I am Kuraima Saotome..."  
  
"And I am Ranma Saotome," Ranma said, taking a step forward.  
  
"...of the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts," both   
recited simultaneously. Loud murmurs suddenly erupted from the groups   
of spectators, along with cries of sudden adoration from some of the   
more brazen females.  
  
"Are those two going to take Kunou on?" a girl next to Nabiki   
asked.  
  
"Talk about living dangerously," another one added. Nabiki smiled   
and filed the little bit of information away for future use.  
  
Below, the three headstrong males faced off, two against one, a   
seemingly unfair distribution. But despite the odds, most of the   
students gathered around the group and standing in the open windows   
above ground felt a bit sorry for the two new boys, who obviously did   
not know what trouble and pain they were getting themselves into for   
talking back to Kunou like that. Kunou was both a feared and worshipped   
presence in Furinkan High and beyond, due to his highly acclaimed   
skills in the arts of swordsmanship.  
  
"Do my eyes deceive me? Or is it that you are acting a bit   
'familiar' with Akane?"  
  
"What?!" Ranma cried out, incredulous to what he had just heard.  
  
"We're staying with her family for a while," Kuraima casually   
replied, taking a step toward Kunou. "Although, I really don't see that   
it's any of your business."  
  
Somehow, maybe through the powers that be, Kunou's face suddenly   
got even darker than before. From the corners of their eyes, the boys   
watched Akane slowly slip into a kenpo stance. They each glanced at the   
other, not knowing what to expect next.  
  
"What is this that I hear?! Living under the same roof as   
Akane?!"  
  
Kunou's nostrils flared wide, his jaw tensing, muscles clenched.   
His left hand made its way across to lie above his right on the bokken,   
his left foot sliding noiselessly to the side in a broad stance. Both   
Kuraima and Ranma followed the invitation and easily slipped into   
similar defensive stances. Thunder and lightning clashed above the odd   
group, the hot smell of rain sharp in everyone's noses.  
  
"That's ENOUGH, down there! Everyone get to class now or you'll   
ALL be put in detention! Now MOVE IT!"  
  
The shout came from the throat of the school's head athletic   
instructor, a large and heavily muscled man, who stood at the top of   
the school stairs, large arms crossed ridiculously over his huge chest.   
But despite how silly he may have looked, he still made a rather   
intimidating figure, and from the looks of his stance, was also a high-  
ranking martial artist.  
  
Everyone grumbled and complained loudly, but obediently went into   
the school and to their classrooms, sorely disappointed for having to   
miss what could possibly have been the most exciting fight since who   
knows when, especially since Kunou overtook the entire district with   
his fighting skills back in Junior High. The only other thing really   
noteworthy of since high school began were the daily fights before   
school with Akane and her over-zealous admirers. No one in their right   
mind dared to remember or even talk about the last time Akane had to   
fight with so many; they would much rather forget about the whole   
incident. Besides, Akane looked much better these days anyway, so why   
not forget about it?  
  
---  
  
"Thank you for actually bothering to come to class today,   
everyone," the homeroom teacher sarcastically sneered. He was a bit put   
off that everyone had left the class the moment it had started due to   
the fight outside. Not even when Akane had started battling dozens of   
boys each day before school had anyone dared to be late or even leave   
class, not even Akane herself. Somehow, despite the odds, she had   
always managed to finish off her battles with enough time left over to   
get to class, even when fighting with Kunou. He really couldn't see why   
everyone made such a hubbub about the fight today, but he could guess   
why. No one had dared to go up against Kunou for the past 4 years.   
Still, nothing excuses misbehaviour in class.  
  
"And now that I finally have everyone's attention for once, I   
will now introduce our two new classmates. This is Kuraima and Ranma   
Saotome, both of whom happen to be twins. The two have recently been on   
a training journey and have just come back from China. So let's all   
give them a hearty 'Nihao' welcome.  
  
"However, this does not excuse the fact that they and Akane   
Tendou were late today, so go stand out in the hall."  
  
---  
  
"Oh man. What a way to start off the first day," Ranma grumbled,   
staring outside at the clear and sunny sky. His arms, like his   
brother's, were positioned slightly away from his body, taking care not   
to spill any of the water in the two buckets that he held, his   
punishment for being late to class. As he was taught to do so many   
times by his father while growing up, he thought of the punishment as   
yet another training exercise. It became much more tolerable in that   
respect.  
  
Akane stood to Ranma's right, his older brother to his left.   
Unlike them, she only had to carry one bucket full of water. The   
teacher probably thought of her as a weakling like most girls, despite   
that impressive fight scene just a half-hour ago outside.  
  
"Yeah," Kuraima agreed. "And what's up with that Kunou guy? Looks   
to me like he's got a screw loose somewhere."  
  
Ranma chuckled, thinking the exact same thing about the disturbed   
boy in the yard not too long ago. He glanced over at Akane to see if   
she too was laughing at his brother's little joke. She acted as if she   
hadn't heard the comment, instead staring straight ahead out the   
window. Kuraima leaned forward and looked at her.  
  
"Hey Akane, sorry 'bout makin' ya late to class today. I   
overheard someone say that this was your first time being late since   
the fights started."  
  
Akane remained silent, still intent on something outside the   
window. The boys looked at each other uncomfortably. She had seemed   
alright that morning during the walk to school. How could one person   
change moods so rapidly?  
  
"Uh, yeah," Ranma piped up, hoping to get her to say something.   
"So, what's up with that fight, anyway?"  
  
Akane finally looked away from the window. Her dark eyes studied   
the faces of both boys, then looked away again. A small sigh escaped   
her throat, and the boys watched as her shoulders slumped slightly.  
  
"In the beginning of the semester, Upperclassman Kunou made a   
speech in front of the entire school. In his own words, 'thou shalt not   
date the beauteous Akane Tendou unless she is first defeated in   
combat.' I have had to fight with those boys since then."  
  
Ranma's mouth dropped open in surprise, while Kuraima looked   
thoughtful for a moment, going over what she had said.  
  
"So," Kuraima said, "Why would Kunou say something like that in   
the first place?"  
  
Akane looked at him again, her eyes studying his, then looked   
away again.   
  
"I had tried out for the kendou team at the beginning of the   
semester. I wanted to know how my sword skills rated against others. I   
fought Kunou and won."  
  
Both boys whistled appreciatively, especially since Kunou had   
arrogantly introduced himself as the 'magnificent shining star'.  
  
"But that doesn't make any sense," Kuraima said. "Seems to me   
that he would be after revenge, not trying to date you."  
  
"Maybe this is his way of 'getting rid of the competition',"   
Akane replied. "Whatever it may be, it is annoying. I wish to be rid of   
Kunou and his worshippers."  
  
Ranma nodded understanding. "I can see why you find it annoying.   
Heck, I'd be annoyed too if I had to deal with that everyday."  
  
"You have no idea," Akane replied, a hint of sarcasm in her   
voice, then went back to staring outside the window. Kuraima and Ranma   
looked at each other. It looked like life in Nerima wasn't going to be   
so bad after all.  
  
---  
  
"What?!"  
  
"That's right, Kunou baby."  
  
"Nay, woman, you speak of that which is not to be! What makes you   
voice such things?!"  
  
"Because it's true," Nabiki reiterated for the umpteenth time.   
She sighed and braced herself once more. "Akane is to be engaged to one   
of the Saotome boys."  
  
"ENGAGED?! NO!!!!!!!!"  
  
The sounds of a hard object bouncing off of something even harder   
echoed in the classroom, as Kunou's head rocked forcibly backwards.   
When his head slowly raised back, a bright red mark was visible in the   
middle of his forehead.  
  
"Kunou! Go stand out in the hall!"  
  
Kunou's shocked face stared at the angry teacher, who stood in   
the front of the class, another piece of chalk held ready in his hand.   
His head dropped.  
  
"Yessir."  
  
---  
  
It was a lovely day in Nerima that day. A soft breeze scented   
with the fragrances of cherry blossoms wafted through the third story   
window of Furinkan High School, blowing sweetly by the three youths   
standing outside in the quiet hall. Before passing on, it playfully   
ruffled the long blue locks of the young girl, which hung without   
hindrance all about her like a picture frame.  
  
Kuraima and Ranma both sighed. It was rare that they were given a   
moment as peaceful as this, and they did not hesitate to revel in it.   
But something in the back of their minds kept nagging at them that this   
newfound tranquility was not to be, and they glanced nervously at each   
other. The hairs on the back of their necks started to raise, while to   
the side, they saw Akane's body posture stiffen as she became aware of   
the oncoming threat too. They all slowly lowered their buckets to the   
floor and stood on guard.  
  
From around the corner where the stairs were located raced   
Tatewaki Kunou, two buckets sloshing full of water hanging from a   
bokken slung across his broad shoulders.  
  
"SAOTOME!!!" he bellowed, face red with unrelenting anger. He   
came to a screeching halt when he spotted his two enemies standing in   
the hall, and the two buckets flew over his head and towards the   
startled twins. In the last second, the two woke up from their trance-  
like state and jumped up to clear any of the splashing water.   
  
Unfortunately, Akane did not possess this well-honed skill from   
having to dodge flying water for the past month. Her slim throat   
emitted a cry of both surprise and rage as the cold water assaulted her   
dry form, soaking her completely from head to toe.  
  
Kunou skidded to an immediate halt in front of his beloved's   
drenched form, shock vividly showing across his face.  
  
"Akane..."  
  
Kunou did not get a chance to finish his sentence before he was   
pummeled headfirst into the nearest wall. Groaning, he slid heavily to   
the floor in a big heap amongst the rubble, unconscious.  
  
"Oh my..." Ranma whispered to himself.  
  
Kuraima nodded back. "She didn't even let him try to apologize,"   
he said quietly to his brother.  
  
The two boys stood a couple feet behind the odd couple, and yet   
they silently took a couple more steps back from their new housemate,   
fearful of what she might do next to them if they erred.  
  
"Hey! What's going on out here!" shouted the teacher who's wall   
was the one that had just been destroyed. His eyes did not hold any   
amount of shock or disbelief when he spied Akane and the prone figure   
of the upper-classman. Walking over to his house phone, he quickly   
dialed the nurse and the school principle and explained to them the   
situation. Two minutes later, Kunou was carried away on a stretcher   
towards the nurse's office. A small puddle of red stained the hallway   
floor where he had fallen not too long ago.  
  
"Akane, please come with us."  
  
Akane turned and stared at the school principle and the police   
officer standing behind her. Without another glance at anyone else, she   
began walking towards the principle's office, the principle and officer   
following cautiously behind.  
  
Ranma and Kuraima watched the eerie procession walk by and on   
down the hall. Not once did Akane look at them, nor even indicate that   
she knew they were standing there. Eventually, the three disappeared   
around a corner, only their footsteps still echoing in the hallway.   
  
They looked around the nearly empty hallway, astonished that they   
were the only ones still standing in it. Even the teacher had gone back   
to teaching his class as though nothing unusual had happened and he did   
not have a gaping hole in the side of his classroom. Even the students   
in the classroom acted as if nothing had just happened outside.  
  
The Saotome boys slowly looked at each other. This school was   
definitely weird.  
  
---  
  
Ranma and Kuraima walked quietly home behind Akane. They had gone   
back to their homeroom class after the incident, and found the rest of   
their classes without problems. They had not seen Akane again until the   
very last period of the day, which was English. She looked unharmed,   
but something in her eyes, or rather, lack thereof, told them that all   
was not well with the youngest Tendou girl.  
  
When the three finally turned into the Tendou compound, they were   
immediately surrounded by everyone. Soun had a worried look on his   
face, as did Kasumi, as they led Akane into the house. No one uttered a   
single word until they disappeared into the house.  
  
"Um..." Kuraima started to say, until Nabiki shot him an angry   
look.  
  
"Don't say anything to anyone about this, okay?" she whispered in   
harsh tones to all the Saotomes. They simply nodded, not knowing what   
was going on, least of all Genma.  
  
The three followed Nabiki Tendou to the family room, where they   
all sat down around the low table, awaiting the return of Soun and   
Kasumi. Twenty minutes lapsed when they heard the sound of the front   
door opening, a voice calling out.  
  
"Hello? It's me, Dr. Tofu!"  
  
Nabiki shot up out of her sitting position, calling out as she   
did so, "I'll get it!" She ran out of the family room towards the front   
door.  
  
The Saotomes listened to what was going on outside, no one daring   
to move an inch, fearful of the suddenly grave situation that they   
found themselves in.  
  
"Hello, Dr. Tofu!" Nabiki gushed from the front entryway, anxiety   
written clear in her voice. "Thank you for coming over on such short   
notice."  
  
"It's okay, Nabiki," the man said, his voice sounding a bit   
awkward. Then, in a much more serious tone, one belying of an   
underlying strength, "Where is she?"  
  
"She's upstairs in her room."  
  
Kuraima and Ranma could almost hear the guy's head nodding his   
thanks to Nabiki, then heard him as he climbed the stairs to the second   
level. A minute later, they looked up as Nabiki re-entered the room and   
sat down in her previous spot to wait. She turned on the T.V. to help   
lighten the mood in the room, but they all barely noticed what was   
flashing across the glass screen in front of them.  
  
---  
  
After what seemed like an eternity later, they listened as   
footsteps came down the stairs.  
  
"Thank you again, Dr. Tofu."  
  
"Thank you very much, Dr. Tofu"  
  
"You're welcome Mr. Tendou, Kasumi. Please, call me immediately   
when she wakes up again."  
  
"Yes, absolutely," Mr. Tendou assured. "Thank you again."  
  
The sounds of the front door opening, then closing again were the   
only sounds that filled the stoic household as they waited breathlessly   
in the room, the T.V. having been turned off a long time ago as there   
had been nothing on of any interest to its viewers.  
  
The four looked up as Mr. Tendou and Kasumi finally entered the   
room, closing the pair of shouji behind them.  
  
"She's fine now," Kasumi said quietly, eyes looking not at   
everyone but rather fixated on the floor in front of her.  
  
Soun, however, looked around at his other daughter and guests.  
  
"Please, you need to understand some things about Akane. Her   
violent temper..."  
  
"Daddy! She's more than just violent. I've told you hundreds of   
times to get her help!" Nabiki admonished in a low tone. Her voice was   
thick with hurt, anxiety and anger.  
  
Soun tried not to let the tears welling in his eyes fall, but his   
aged face seemed so tired of having to hold in the hurt that he   
constantly felt. He hung his head in shame.  
  
"Nabiki!" Kasumi countered, head now up and glaring at her   
younger sister. "You should not speak so harshly to Father."  
  
"But he needs to hear it, Kasumi!" Nabiki continued, eyes defiant   
against her sister's. "If we don't do something soon, who knows how   
much further along she'll get. Hell! It might already be too late to do   
anything at all, what with the way you two keep putting it off all the   
time. I'm telling you, she needs professional help! She's getting more   
and more dangerous all the time!"  
  
Nabiki turned back to her father, eyes radiating heat.  
  
"And you! Why do you keep letting her learn more techniques?!   
Don't you realize something could happen?! What if she loses control   
and hurts, or even worse, kills somebody with her skills?!"  
  
Soun raised his tired head. It was plain to see the glistening   
trail marks left by his tears. "But Nabiki, her training in martial   
arts helps her to control herself, and her rage. Don't you see that?   
That's the only reason why I let her train in the first place." Another   
tear rolled down his face.  
  
"I know the techniques are dangerous if used wrong, but it's the   
only way to keep her focused on life."  
  
Soun sighed, his shoulders slumped. Indeed, he was very much   
tired over his youngest daughter's situation. No longer did he know   
what to do. Akane's condition was getting worse every year, despite   
everything that he'd tried to do to help her get better.  
  
Once again he raised his head, and his eyes swept over his three   
guests. They simply sat there, in a state of shock and helplessness   
over their host's situation. But again, they had no clue as to what the   
others were referring to. Soun read it plain in their eyes.  
  
"Genma, my old friend," he began, wiping his tears from his eyes,   
"I am afraid that I've kept you in the dark for too long. I owe you an   
understanding of my youngest daughter, as one of your sons will soon   
wed her."  
  
Ranma and Kuraima looked at each other in dismay.  
  
"Now wait a minute, Mr. Tendou," Kuraima started, "We're not   
going to marry anybody."  
  
"Quiet son," Genma finally spoke, "Let him speak. There is   
obviously a great deal we do not know of our hosts."  
  
Soun slowly nodded.  
  
"It happened a great time after we had made our pact," he began   
again, "Right about the time that my dear wife died..."  
  
(End of Part 03)  
---  
1. shougi - a wood and rice paper door, typical of a traditional   
Japanese household.  
  
2. bokken - a Japanese wooden fighting sword; used primarily for kendo   
practice. 


End file.
